Next big man up

Florida 6-11 senior center Colin Castleton went to the bench with 15:05 left in the Gators’ 69-54 victory over Ole Miss on Wednesday night after injuring his right hand.

It turned out Castleton fractured a bone, which will sideline him for today’s game and possibly the rest of the season.

The Gators led 47-41 when Castleton went out and outscored Ole Miss 2213 the rest of the game.

“Florida played a really good last 15 minutes,” Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman said. “Todd Golden is a very good coach. They have a talented roster.”

Musselman said Florida adjusted well to playing without Castleton, who is averaging 16.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots.

Jason Jitoboh, a 6-11, 300-pound senior, is expected to start today in place of Castleton.

“They still have a big guy inside,” Musselman said. “A big, strong player.”

Jitoboh is averaging 2.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 9.0 minutes. He had 4 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 17 minutes against Ole Miss and played the final 15:05.

“I think Jason is really capable,” Golden said. “He went from really not playing any consistent minutes to playing 15 minutes straight the other night, and to his credit, he was in good condition and we didn’t feel like we had to take him out of the game at all.

“I think that’s a huge credit to him for getting ready and staying ready. Last year when he had this opportunity, he stepped up and we expect him to do the same this year.”

When Castleton was out with a shoulder injury last season, Jitoboh started four games and averaged 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds.

“It definitely gives me more confidence knowing I was able to hold my own when I was out there and he wasn’t out there,” Jitoboh said. “But obviously Colin [has] big shoes to fill. I’m not trying to fill them. I’m just trying to do the best I can.”