During the latter half of Southeastern Conference play, ankle soreness and tendinitis in both knees have made Casey Prather a little more hesitant to slash. But on Tuesday night, the senior forward attacked the rim often.
Unfortunately for Prather, Vanderbilt had his number.
While he recorded a game-high four steals and six rebounds during the No. 1 Gators’ 57-54 win against the Commodores in Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Prather went 1 of 5 from the field for only two points — easily his worst offensive performance this year. He also committed three turnovers in 30 minutes of action.
“I’m just more concerned about him in terms of him letting the game come to him,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He’s trying to create things that are not there.”
Donovan believes Prather did not do a good job of utilizing his teammates and spreading the floor when the opportunities to score in the paint were not present.
“He’s driving in there and really with nowhere to go,” Donovan said. “I thought in the first half, he had opportunities to dump the ball off to Patric (Young) and Will Yeguete and some other players along the baseline, and they’re not letting him get to the rim.
“This is one of those games where, you know, you’ve got to do other things. Almost become a passer a little bit. Drive it, create help, get guys some shots. I don’t know what he did [Tuesday night]. He had three assists, but the way Vandy was playing him, he could have had a lot more if he would have distributed a little better.”
The ailing senior forward, who began the season relatively healthy and on a double-digit scoring streak of 14 games before missing two games with a bone bruise in his right knee, has scored just nine points on 4-of-15 shooting in his past two games.
Gators missing Hill: Florida (26-2, 15-0 SEC) announced that point guard Kasey Hill has been cleared to play against LSU (17-10, 8-7 SEC) on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Without Hill (groin), the Gators have not been the same team.
As Hill has missed UF’s past three games — wins that have all come by a close margin — Scottie Wilbekin has not had many chances to take a breather.
The senior point guard has rested only nine minutes in Hill’s absence, and Florida recorded only two assists against four turnovers during that span without a natural point guard on the floor.
The increased responsibility has put a burden on Wilbekin, who has made just 36.1 percent of his field-goal attempts in his past three contests.
UF’s offense hasn’t nearly been as efficient without Hill creating open looks for his teammates, and the team has shot just 41.7 percent in its past three contests compared to a 46.1 percent clip in SEC play prior to the his injury.
“We need Kasey Hill to get back healthy,” Donovan said. “I’ve got [Wilbekin] out there too much. He’s such a warrior. He’ll say to me, ‘I don’t want to come out, coach. … No, I’m fine, No, I’m fine.’ But at some point when you’re playing that many minutes and you’re pressing, it’s going to affect your offense a little bit.”
Walker emerging: Sophomore guard DeVon Walker has been feeling it lately from downtown.
The 6-foot-6 Winter Haven native has been a reliable three-point shooter for the Gators during his past five games, hitting 8 of his 14 attempts from behind the arc and averaging five points per contest during that span.
During UF’s first 23 games, Walker, whose primary role for UF was as a lockdown perimeter defender before emerging into a viable threat from three, had amassed only 51 points on an 8-of-35 clip from three.
He made an impact in Florida’s win against Vanderbilt on Tuesday, scoring six points on two made three-point shots in 19 minutes on the court.
Walker’s most important three — an open look from the right wing — lifted the Gators to a 53-45 lead with 5:40 remaining against the Commodores.
Follow Landon Watnick on Twitter @LandonWatnick
DeVon Walker drives down the court during Florida’s 71-66 win against Auburn on Feb. 19 in the O’Connell Center. Walker has hit 8 of his last 14 three-point shots.
