Gators Guard Andrew Nembhard Could Miss Auburn Game

Florida's emerging point guard could miss the Gators' biggest game of the season to date.

Florida Gators point guard Andrew Nembhard has tested positive for the flu and will miss two consecutive practices entering the weekend, GatorsTerritory's Jacquie Franciulli reports.

This would leave Nembhard's availability for Florida's upcoming game against the No. 4 Auburn Tigers on Saturday in doubt. The Gators (11-5, 3-1 SEC) take on the Tigers (15-1, 3-1 SEC) at the O'Connell Center in Gainesville, at 1:30 P.M.

"We better be ready to play without him," coach Mike White told the media on Friday.

Losing Nembhard in the biggest game of Florida's up-and-down season to date would hurt, as Nembhard has come alive as of late amidst the team's offensive inconsistencies. 

His career-high 25 point outing was instrumental in Florida's 21-point comeback, double-overtime victory over Alabama to begin SEC play on January 4th. Nembhard has since followed with a double-double (21 points, 10 assists) in the Gators' 81-68 road victory over South Carolina.

Even when posting modest stat-lines, such as his 10-point, six assist performance in Florida's 71-55 win over Ole Miss on Tuesday, the offense has flowed better when Nembhard has had the ball in his hands - whether he's scoring or setting up others.

On the season, Nembhard is averaging 11.1 points, 5.9 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in just over 34 minutes per game

Not having Nembhard available against Auburn's defense, which is allowing only 68.8 points and leads the SEC with 17.1 opponent turnovers per game, would be a significant blow for the Gators. 

The team will have to rely on sophomore guard Noah Locke to have one of his up-performances offensively, which have been inconsistent during the year but have been seen against Alabama (18 points), Long Beach State (16 points), and Xavier (13 points).

Freshman guard Scottie Lewis will also have to step up on offense. Play like his recent four-game stretch against Utah State, Alabama, South Carolina, and Missouri (13 points, 5.3 rebounds) are encouraging, but he will also need to improve his passing in Nembhard's absence if he is to miss the game. Lewis has eight assists on the season.

Expect freshmen guards Tre Mann and Quez Glover to see increased minutes as well.