It was supposed to be a regular move in Kasey Hill’s repertoire.
After Florida forced a turnover about two minutes into the second half, Hill drove down the right side of the lane through two Southern defenders and drew a foul.
The freshman point guard had been thriving in transition all Monday night, with eight points on three layups and a floater coming before the play.
But during this layup attempt, Hill’s left foot planted awkwardly, and his ankle twisted inward. The McDonald’s All-American then let out a howl that was heard throughout the O’Connell Center.
Hill suffered a high left ankle sprain under the same basket that former Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel’s season ended last February when he suffered a torn ACL.
Florida coach Billy Donovan said after the No. 16 Gators’ 67-53 win against the Jaguars that Hill will miss at least a month of action. X-rays on Hill’s ankle came back negative Tuesday with no broken bones or torn ligaments.
Without their floor general, the Gators are in a predicament.
“It’s a part of the game,” Donovan said. “We’ll have to find some different ways to compensate for his absence.”
For the time being, Florida will have to do so without a natural point guard on its shorthanded roster. Its best options to fill in at point guard are either injured or unavailable.
Senior Scottie Wilbekin, last year’s starter at point guard, is still suspended indefinitely and will miss UF’s matchup against Middle Tennessee on Thursday.
Donovan also revealed after the game that guard Dillon Graham (bone spurs) will undergo surgery on his hips next week and miss the remainder of the season.
Eli Carter (leg), who has played sparingly because he has not yet reached full strength, is mulling a medical redshirt.
“We definitely need him, but not at the expense of burning his year,” Donovan said of Carter. “That’s a real, real hard one for me to swallow as a coach when a guy’s playing on one leg. He’s probably going to see how much more he can do, but I had him at the point out there.
“He was out there at half-court. He almost lost the ball like three times. It looked like he couldn’t even plant and push off, and he looked hobbled. So I feel bad for him. Selfishly, could we just use his body for five, six minutes to buy some time? Yes, but … I think we owe him the opportunity to get himself fully healthy and play again.”
Without those players to provide effective minutes at point guard, sophomores Michael Frazier II and DeVon Walker — who has committed eight turnovers in four games — will likely handle the task.
Frazier thrives in catch-and-shoot situations on the wings and corners but will likely have to run the floor as the starting point guard Thursday night.
“I think I could do fine with it,” Frazier said. “I played a little bit of point guard in high school. I played it in a couple games, so I’m pretty comfortable with it.”
Donovan also said he might experiment with Dorian Finney-Smith playing at the point, although the redshirt sophomore forward has not practiced much at that position this year.
“We’re going to probably have to do some different things,” Donovan said. “We’re going to have to make some lineup adjustments, changes. … We’re going to probably have to have multiple guys handle the ball. I think we’ve got to be able to flow on offense, function, once we get into half court.”
Follow Landon Watnick on Twitter @LandonWatnick.
Kasey Hill attempts a shot during Florida’s 67-53 victory against Southern on Monday in the O’Connell Center. Hill suffered a high ankle sprain in the game.
