No. 24 Florida dominates Milwaukee, handles hyped Baldwin

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Colin Castleton had 19 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double and No. 24 Florida dominated Milwaukee 81-45 on Thursday, the Gators’ first game as a ranked team in nine months.

Florida definitely looked the part.

So did Patrick Baldwin Jr.

The Gators (3-0) issued 39 credentials spanning 22 NBA teams, all of them on hand to see Milwaukee’s freshman star. The 6-foot-9 guard and projected lottery pick had 13 points on 6-of-15 shooting. He added three rebounds, two blocks, two steals and an assist. He also had three turnovers in 33 minutes.

Baldwin, who landed at Milwaukee (1-2) mostly because his dad is the head coach, was as smooth as advertised. “PBJ” handles the ball, has the size to make hard passes look easy, breaks down defenders in a variety of ways and has NBA range despite missing all three 3-pointers.

This was one of Baldwin’s few appearances against high-major competition, so scouts wanted an up-close look.

They probably came away impressed with Castleton, who put up 15 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks in a lopsided victory against previously ranked Florida State on Sunday.

Castleton tested the NBA waters after last season but ended up returning to Florida for his senior season. The 6-11 forward from nearby DeLand is now averaging 16.7 points and 10.3 rebounds.

Castleton led four Florida players in double figures. Tyree Appleby had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. Phlandrous Fleming added 12 points. And Anthony Duruji chipped in 12 points and seven boards.

The Gators broke the game open to start the second half, using a 32-4 run to turn an 11-point lead into a laugher.

The Panthers shot at least four air balls, drawing chants from the home crowd. The fans also sang Baldwin “Happy Birthday” during one trip to the free-throw line. He turned 19 on Thursday.

BIG PICTURE

Milwaukee: Baldwin Jr. will be a huge draw all season – for opponents, fans and NBA teams. The McDonald’s All-American was considered the No. 4 player nationally in the 2021 class and the highest-ranked high school recruit to sign with a Horizon League program. He averaged 24.3 points and 10.8 rebounds as a junior at Hamilton High in Sussex, Wisconsin. He missed most of his senior year because of an ankle injury.

Florida: Coach Mike White has his best passing team in seven seasons in Gainesville. The Gators are experienced and unselfish, a result of White finding the right mix of guys to add from the transfer portal the last two years. Florida finished with a season-high 18 assists.

UP NEXT

Milwaukee: Plays Bowling Green on Tuesday in the Fort Myers Tip-Off, about a four-hour drive south.

Florida: Plays California on Monday in the Fort Myers Tip-Off.

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