GAINESVILLE,
FLA. — It appears No. 13 Florida will be shorthanded for its
Southeastern Conference opener at Tennessee.
Guard
Mike Rosario's likely will miss his second straight game because of a
sprained left ankle, but coach Billy Donovan expects to have Casey
Prather back Saturday. Prather missed the last three games with a
stomach virus.
Donovan
also believes forward Erik Murphy will be available. Murphy took an
elbow just about the right eye in practice Thursday and needed
stiches.
"The
biggest thing you worry about in those situations is ... are there
concussion-like symptoms," Donovan said. "He's not having
that right now. Provided he doesn't have that, the cut is not going
to prevent him from being out at practice and/or the game."
Murphy
and teammate Patric Young were both going for a rebound when Young
whacked Murphy in the forehead with his elbow. It's not the first
time Young has hammered a teammate, either. He broke Prather's nose
in practice last year.
"Whether
it's been a pick or a rebound, Pat has definitely gotten everybody on
this team," leading scorer Kenny Boynton said. "I think
he's used to it. He's been doing it all his life."
Rosario,
who is averaging 9.0 points and 2.3 rebounds a game off the bench,
has missed three of Florida's last five games. He sat out two games
last month because of a back injury. He injured his ankle Dec. 31
against Yale and sat out Tuesday night's game against UAB.
Donovan
doesn't know when Rosario will return.
"Not
sure when we'll get him back," Donovan said. "We're trying
to maybe get him looked at by a doctor or take an X-ray, MRI, to see
if there's anything more to it than what we think it is. ... Until he
feels like he can go and move and put pressure, we're just kind of
moving forward without him."
