Colin Castleton injury sends Florida star to the locker room with team trainer

Florida is taking on Ole Miss in basketball and a Colin Castleton injury might deal a significant blow to any postseason hopes for the Gators.

Castleton left the floor after seemingly injuring something on his right hand. A Florida spokesman confirmed he will not return to the game.

The Florida big man appeared to knock hands with Ole Miss forward Jaemyn Brakefield and immediately came up grabbing his right hand around the wrist area. He quickly checked out of the game and had a brief word with Florida head trainer Dave Werner.

After a minute or two, both Castleton and Werner headed back to the Florida locker rooms.

Castleton was having a bit of a slow night by his standards prior to his exit, tallying only three points and three rebounds in the contest on 22 minutes when he exited.

Florida led Ole Miss 54-46 at the time of this writing.

Colin Castleton injury could leave Florida frontcourt thin

Castleton has been the bulk of the muscle inside all year long for Florida, one of the league’s best scorers and rebounders.

If he is out for any extended period of time it will be very difficult for the Gators to replace his production. Castleton averaged a team-leading 16.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.

Jason Jitoboh is likely to take the bulk of the extra minutes in Castleton’s absence, with Jitoboh currently averaging 2.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. Forward Alex Fudge also can help, though he’s not quite as sturdy. He averages 6.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

The next date to watch for a potential Colin Castleton return will be on Saturday at Arkansas. That game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. ET tipoff with a broadcast on ESPN2.