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Florida PG Walter Clayton Jr. ruled out vs. Vandy

On3 imageby:Zach Abolverdi•about 9 hours•

ZachAbolverdi

Walter-Clayton-Jr-Florida-Gators
(Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida starting point guard Walter Clayton Jr. has been ruled out against Vanderbilt on Tuesday, according to a team spokesperson.

Junior PG Denzel Aberdeen is expected to start in his place.

Clayton was a game-time decision with a left ankle sprain and had been listed as questionable on the team’s initial injury report for the game.

UF coach Todd Golden provided an update on him Monday.

“Obviously we avoided anything too serious, which is awesome. He definitely tweaked his ankle pretty good there in the first half. Second half, slipped in front of our bench. I don’t think there was anything added on because of that. Just kind of a fluky deal,” Golden said.

“Obviously, he’s been knocking out his rehab and is recovering. He’s moving around pretty well, but we’ll take it hour by hour right now and see how it goes this afternoon in practice. I think tomorrow when he wakes up will be a big determinant in if he goes tomorrow night or not.”

Tip between the No. 6 Gators (18-3, 5-3 SEC) and Commodores (16-5, 4-4 SEC) is at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network. Vanderbilt guard Alex Hemenway is out for the game along with Florida center Micah Handlogten.

Clayton suffered the sprain at the 1:07 mark of the first half against Tennessee, could not put pressure on his ankle and went to straight to the locker room.

He returned to the lineup to start the second half, spent time riding a bike after subbing out the first time and then checked out for good when he slipped.

Clayton finished with a team-high 10 points — all in the first half before his injury. He also extended his UF record for consecutive games with a 3-pointer to 44. 

Clayton leads the team in scoring for the second straight season and has averaged 17.8 points during SEC play. He’s two points from joining Florida’s 1,000-point club.

Clayton on watch list for prestigious hoops award

Clayton on Monday was named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year 10-player midseason watch list, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced.

The award is named after six-time NBA champion Bob Cousy, a point guard for the Boston Celtics from 1950-63. Clayton was joined by the following players on the watch list:

Mark Sears, Alabama
Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga
Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State
Kam Jones, Marquette
Ace Baldwin, Penn State
Braden Smith, Purdue
Dylan Harper, Rutgers
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
Javon Small, West Virginia

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