Alabama Guard Leaves Florida Game with Lower Leg Injury
Alabama basketball is going to want to wipe Tuesday night's Florida game from its memory, but an already rough night got even worse late in the second half and could have a lasting impact on the rest of the season.
Sophomore guard Rylan Griffen was going for the ball on an offensive rebound when he collided with two Florida defenders and fell to the ground. He immediately grabbed his right leg. Griffen was assisted off the floor by trainer Clarke Holter and teammate Nick Pringle without being able to put any weight on that right leg.
"He's got a calf injury that we're getting an MRI on in the morning, so I'm not sure if it's a bruise, strain something," Alabama head coach Nate Oats said after the game.
Florida was leading 91-72 at the time of the incident with 4:15 to go in the second half. Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard were the players who collided with Griffen. The Alabama guard had three points and four rebounds prior to the injury.
The play was reviewed for a foul after the hard collision, but after review the officials ruled that players from both teams were going for a loose ball and no foul was called. Oats was called for a technical foul after arguing with the officials about the play.
"I thought he got knocked down," Oats said. "They thought it was a loose ball that both guys were going for."
Also on the injury front, senior guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. returned to the floor for the first time in four games as he recovered from a head injury. However, after he checked out of the game with 8:19 to go in the first half, he never re-entered.
Wrightsell played eight total minutes, all in the first half, and finished with two points. After the game, Oats said Tuesday's night game was a good step in the right direction to get Wrightsell back in game shape.
Florida (20-9, 10-6 SEC) went on to win the game 105-87, and Alabama (20-10, 12-5) drops its second straight game.
Alabama still has one game remaining in the regular season against Arkansas this Saturday at 11 a.m. Griffen has played in all 29 games for the Crimson Tide this season with 27 starts. He is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 11.4 points per game.
