Florida guard exits game with early injury against Arkansas

As the Florida Gators hosted the Arkansas Razorbacks on Tuesday, one of their guards exited the game early with an injury following a collision. Brandon McKissic collided with a defender on a drive to the basket early in the first half, resulting in him immediately hobbling off the court in pain. After taking a moment to shake off the pain, he continued to limp his way to the sideline and into the locker room for treatment.

Florida’s McKissic leaves early against Arkansas with injury

Although he has begun to assume a bench role later in the season with the Gators, the fifth-year guard has been an important piece of Florida’s season. McKissic recently recovered from a facial injury suffered against Texas A&M that did not force him to miss time, as he was available for Florida’s upset over then-No. 2 Auburn on Saturday.

The Gators certainly hope that McKissic’s injury will not keep him out for long as they continue to battle for an NCAA Tournament bid. Florida opened strong against No. 18 Arkansas at home, but mid-way through the first half they trailed 18-17. McKissic’s injury appeared to be an unlucky one as he was called for a charge on the play against the SEC’s leader in charges taken. Jaylin Williams drew the charge, as he now has 42 on the season and leads the conference. Williams drew four charges against Tennessee in Arkansas’ matchup on Saturday.

McKissic spent the first four seasons of his college career with the Kansas City Roos, averaging 17.1 points per game last season before transferring to Florida. Although he remains a big part of the Gators, his production has dropped as he finds a new role on this team, averaging 6.0 points in over 24 minutes per game. McKissic departed Kansas City as the ninth-ranked scorer in program history with 1,178 points for the Roos. His offensive production may be lower than before, but the experienced guard has ten career games with over 20 points, including a career high of 29 points.