Before the Gators began their season, they had already lost four players from their 16-man roster.
As No. 10 Florida (1-0) prepares to take on No. 22 Wisconsin (1-0) tonight at 7 in the O’Connell Center, the Gators may have to add another player to the list.
On Tuesday, coach Billy Donovan said senior Erik Murphy missed Monday’s practice and may sit out today’s game due to an illness.
“He was throwing up [Monday],” Donovan said. “I don’t know if it’s the flu or what it is, but I don’t know how much he’ll even be able to do [Tuesday].”
The depth problems started early for Florida.
Damontre Harris’ contribution to practice ended after the 6-foot-10 transfer from South Carolina suffered a labrum tear when a teammate fell on him during a preseason practice. Shortly after, sophomore Cody Larson left the team.
Casey Prather was next, suffering his second concussion in nine days on Nov. 5. Prather’s injury happened only four days before Florida’s season opener against Georgetown.
Then, on Thursday, Donovan suspended Scottie Wilbekin.
Donovan hopes to have Murphy back tonight to avoid fielding a smaller team against Wisconsin.
“Wisconsin is a big, strong, physical team,” Donovan said. “They don’t make a lot of mistakes on the defensive end of the floor. … They take their time. They’re patient. They’re deliberate. They get the kind of shots that they want. They’re not afraid to go deep into the clock. So (it’s) definitely a challenging game for us.”
After missing Monday’s practice, Murphy is a step behind in preparing for Wisconsin.
The forward missed the team’s Monday film session and didn’t know the Gators’ offensive or defensive plans for the Badgers before Tuesday afternoon.
“He’s got a lot he’s got to catch up on,” Donovan said. “At least if he can’t practice (Tuesday), being there to absorb it mentally would be just as important.”
Florida has already had to shift Boynton from shooting guard to point guard and use Mike Rosario at shooting guard during its first two games. If Murphy has to miss tonight’s contest, then Will Yeguete will likely slide to power forward, leaving a spot open at small forward.
When asked if he had an experienced, reliable and natural player at the position, Donovan said: “Right now? Nobody.”
Donovan added that the Gators would probably have to go back to playing three guards if Murphy is unavailable.
He said either Michael Frazier II or DeVon Walker would slide into the starting lineup.
“The one thing I respect and appreciate is our young guys have really had a great attitude just in terms of trying to be eager to learn and pay attention and realize that there’s been some things that have gone on inside of our team,” Donovan said.
“They’ve got to pick things up. It’s been challenging for them, but I think that they’ve worked to try to pay attention and figure out what we need from them.”
Contact Katie Agostin at kagostin@alligator.org.
Florida forward Erik Murphy (33) guards Georgetown forward Nate Lubick during the Navy-Marine Corps Classic on Friday aboard the USS Bataan in Jacksonville.
