GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Florida Gators will have a full squad at top-ranked Kentucky on Saturday as leading scorer Michael Frazier II is expected to return after missing the last seven games with a high-ankle sprain.
The junior guard twisted his right ankle against Kentucky on Feb. 7 and has practiced sparingly since. The Gators (15-15, 8-9 SEC) went 3-4 without him.
Coach Billy Donovan said Friday that Frazier went through parts of practice Thursday, but Donovan doesn't know how much Frazier will be able to play against the Wildcats (30-0, 17-0).
"I'm going into the game with him being available," Donovan said. "But for me to go in there and say, 'OK, he's back right now, he's going to play 30 minutes and he's going to be back to where he was before he got injured,' I think would be a mistake. It's another body in our backcourt."
Frazier averages a team-high 13.2 points and leads the Gators in 3-pointers (55) and free-throw percentage (87.7). He's also third on the team in rebounding and steals.
Having him back gives the Gators a third outside threat -- Dorian Finney-Smith and Eli Carter are the only other Florida players with more than 20 treys this season -- and should create space in and around the lane.
"He's another good guard we can use out there, a veteran guard," Finney-Smith said. "When things get tough, I know we can always count on Mike."
Frazier set a school record for 3-pointers (118) last season and established another mark this year by making at least one trey in 41 consecutive games. As the lone returning starter from last year's Final Four team, Frazier was asked to do considerably more.
"I think he's going to have pain," Donovan said. "This is going to be an injury that he's probably not going to feel 100 percent until the season's over with and he has significant time to rest."