Finney-Smith, Frazier to Sit When Florida Visits Missouri

Florida head coach Billy Donovan announced Monday morning that two regular starters will not be in the lineup when the Gators face Missouri on Tuesday night.

Both juniors, guard Michael Frazier and forward Dorian Finney-Smith, the two have been out of the lineup in recent competition and their absences have been missed. The Gators are 1-5 in their last six games — including three at home, and have struggled to recreate Frazier and Finney-Smith’s veteran production.

Finney-Smith was suspended last week for a violation of team rules, and has already missed games against LSU and Vanderbilt. Donovan said Finney-Smith’s status will be reevaluated on Saturday, prior to Florida’s matchup with Tennessee. He has been a dominant presence in the Gators’ post-game and on the defensive glass. He is averaging a healthy 12.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest.

Frazier suffered a high-ankle sprain against Kentucky on February 7 and has not suited up since. He was averaging 13.2 points per game prior to the injury.

This has been the Gators’ most disappointing year under Donovan, who has led Florida to consecutive 20-win seasons in every year since the turn of the century. It has been 15 years since the Gators (currently 13-14) last finished under .500, when they finished 14-15 in Donovan’s second year. 2015 will likely mark the first year in the same time-frame that the Gators didn’t go dancing, barring a miracle run in the SEC tournament.

With Frazier and Finney-Smith on the sidelines, Florida is without their top two scorers – best of the frontcourt and backcourt – and their top rebounder in Finney-Smith.  The attrition has been a hindrance as the Gators have only been able to run 8 or 9-deep sets, and have endured an offensive drought without a true go-to scoring presence.

After Missouri and Tennessee, the Gators have two more games on the docket, hosting Texas A&M on March 3 and then visiting Kentucky on Mach 7.

*Section Photo credit to Sam Greenwood, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Michelle LaPianka Carter, Associated Press

 

Louisville Basketball: Looking Forward
Louisville Basketball: Looking Forward