Florida starter Alex Fudge ruled out for the South Carolina game

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Gators will likely be down a starter Wednesday as Alex Fudge works to return to the court. The sophomore forward is doubtful for the South Carolina matchup, Gators coach Todd Golden said.

Fudge, who has made 11 consecutive starts, left the Mississippi State game with a head injury in the first minute of the second half and did not return. Fudge is averaging 7.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this year.

“I think it’s going to be really hard for him to go tomorrow,” Golden said of Fudge on Tuesday. “Alex is day to day, didn’t practice yesterday. We will see how he’s doing a little bit here. Obviously we’re not going to get him back out there until he’s ready, both from a health standpoint most importantly and then helping us win, equally as important. And obviously it was a challenge because he’s played a lot for us, been doing really well, and credit for the other guys for being able to shoulder that load down the stretch.”

Wednesday update: Fudge has been ruled out for the game.

With Alex Fudge out and CJ Felder currently not with the team, Florida turned to Jason Jitoboh against the Bulldogs to play in the frontcourt with Colin Castleton. Jitoboh logged 13 minutes — his most in SEC play and since the Ohio game on Dec. 14 — and scored 4 points, making both of his field goal attempts along with three rebounds.

“Jason, I think provided some really big minutes for us, in the second half, really big shot, right before the shot clock and that baseline hook was big for us,” Golden said. “Alex has been really good for us. I don’t think we’ll see him tomorrow night and hopefully we get him back for Saturday but we’re going to have to play more four-out on the perimeter and then we’re going to have to play with Jason and Colin.

“We’ve been able to do it a little over the course of the year and we have to be mature enough and we have to be able to be flexible that way. Jason gave us huge minutes on Saturday night. I think he played 13 minutes, and we haven’t been able to get him rolling the past couple games with him getting into foul trouble. I didn’t think the Missouri matchup was a great matchup for him. But those minutes were huge and we’re going to need him this week big time.”

In addition to Jitoboh’s increased role, the Gators can also plug in Will Richard at the four for Fudge and has two more wing guards with some length in Kowacie Reeves (6-foot-6) and Riley Kugel (6-foot-5).

“And then, what we call quote-unquote small, even though I don’t really feel that’s small, we were out there playing guys like Wacie, Will, Riley together. That has continued to be really good for us. If Alex isn’t able to go tomorrow, which I think it’s going to be hard for him to be ready, we’re just going to have to continue to have those guys step up and be as assertive as they have been especially since conference play started,” Golden said. “Will, Wacie and Riley, their ability to guard multiple positions, really anything one through four they can guard, that’s given us a big lift in conference play.

“And, the fact that we can play those lineups and be as good as we were previously defensively and pretty damn close to being as good as we were on the glass, allows us to play with more space offensively. I think that’s kind of a big reason as to why we’ve been able to get going a little bit. They’re long and they’re active. They’re good athletes. So, even if they’re going up against guy that might have 20-30 pounds on them and a couple inches, you don’t feel like you’re (undersized). We had one possession in the second half where I felt we were undersized when they got like four offensive rebounds on that one possession. I felt pretty good about it other than that, and our offense is definitely picking up because of it as well.”