Florida Gators
SEC Coaches Fall Classic Final
Bradley Beal misses practice with ankle sprain
Monday, March 5, 2012 | Men's Basketball, Women's Tennis, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Guard Bradley Beal, who injured his ankle in the team's regular-season finale against Kentucky, was held out of practice Monday, but the Florida freshman could return to work Tuesday.
“Put him down as questionable for practice,” Gators coach Billy Donovan said.
Same for seldom-used forward Casey Prather, who also missed Monday's practice after tweaking his back while lifting weights earlier in the day. Like Beal, Prather could be back Tuesday.
Beal, the team's second-leading scorer at 14.4 points and tied for the rebounding lead at 6.5 per game, sprained his ankle in Sunday's 74-59 loss against the top-ranked Wildcats when he came down on a UK player's foot while running up the court.
“It was downhill from there,” he said.
Beal came out of the game, went to the locker room briefly for treatment, but returned to finish with five points (on just 1-for-10 shooting), seven rebounds and four assists in 36 minutes.
“It's fine,” said Beal, who lifted weights Monday and watched some of practice. “My ankle is a little sore, a little banged up. I'm just icing it, trying to rest it a little bit and see where I am.”
The Gators (22-9), who have lost three straight, have a bye thru the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, which opens Thursday in New Orleans. UF, seeded fourth, will play the winner of the first-round match between fifth-seeded Alabama (20-10) and 12th-seeded South Carolina (10-20).
