Mike Rosario will likely be available for Florida’s matchup against Auburn tonight, coach Billy Donovan said Monday.
Rosario missed UF’s last three games with a hip pointer after colliding with Cody Larson during a practice following Florida’s Feb. 11 matchup with Tennessee. The impact left substantial bruising and swelling, according to Donovan, so much so that Rosario was limited from even jogging or riding a bike.
He progressed such that he attempted practice Friday but ultimately pulled himself out. Instead of traveling with the team to Arkansas, he remained in Gainesville for additional treatment.
Donovan said Rosario practiced Sunday and would play if Monday’s practice goes smoothly.
“He’s really favoring it to the point where he’s very, very leery of cutting and moving in certain ways,” Donovan said. “I don’t think he’s going to put himself in a position where he’s going to re-injure it. ... But I do think he has a lack of confidence in the injury in terms of working through it because it just does not feel comfortable when he’s cutting and moving.”
Donovan added that Rosario has not suffered many injuries during his career and thus tends to be overcautious when they occur.
Over the course of this season, Rosario has dealt with a sprained ankle and a disc issue in his lower back, and Donovan said Rosario was hampered by a fear of aggravating his injury in both instances.
“It causes him when he’s playing to be very, very tentative and to almost shy away from doing certain things on the court when he doesn’t feel comfortable,” Donovan said. “For Mike, it’s been more of trying to get him to do stuff that maybe he’s not confident doing and trying to get him to understand that, ‘OK, you’re not going to re-injure this or set yourself back.’ But I think when he’s feeling pain and discomfort in his mind right now, he worries about that.”
Rosario is UF’s leading scorer off the bench at 7.9 points per game. In two contests without him, Florida scored a combined four bench points.
Beal earns honor: Brad Beal was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week for the sixth time this season, the league announced Monday.
Beal scored 35 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and added six assists in wins over Alabama and Arkansas. He also contributed on the defensive end with four steals and four blocks.
Donovan specifically praised Beal’s rebounding. He has grabbed 49 boards over the last six games, compared to Patric Young’s 29 and Erik Murphy’s 24.
“He has made an effort to go to the glass,” Donovan said. “He’s always been a good rebounding guard. He needs to get in there and rebound for our team — it helps us.”
Movin’ on up: In the latest edition of the AP Poll, released Monday, Florida moved up two spots from No. 14 to No. 12. The Gators also rose from No. 12 to No. 11 in the coaches’ poll.
UF’s RPI is also on the rise, moving from No. 20 to No. 17 this week. That shift has the Gators projected as a No. 4 seed in ESPN’s Bracketology with Joe Lunardi.
Although Donovan said he does not talk to his team about their potential NCAA Tournament seeding, Erving Walker said the Gators occasionally take notice.
“Sometimes,” Walker said with a grin. “But Joe Lunardi is wrong sometimes.”
Contact Greg Luca at gluca@alligator.org
Florida redshirt junior guard Mike Rosario (hip) is expected to return tonight against Auburn after missing UF’s last three games.
