Gators HC Todd Golden Provides Injury Updates

Florida will see one big return while two players are set to miss Saturday's contest against South Carolina. One guard remains questionable.

Sam Alexis will join Alex Condon on the Gators' injury report for its matchup against South Carolina. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- As the No. 3 Florida Gators head into Saturday's matchup at home against South Carolina, head coach Todd Golden on Monday provided injury updates for two of his bigs and one of his guards.

Forward/center Alex Condon, who suffered a low ankle sprain in Tuesday's win over Mississippi State, and forward Sam Alexis will miss the game against the Gamecocks. Additionally, guard Alijah Martin, who has missed the last two games with a hip pointer, remains questionable, Golden told reporters.

Condon will likely be out for a week or two as he deals with a swollen ankle as a result of his injury, while Martin is now also dealing with an abdomen issue but is "getting closer" to returning, Golden explained. He did not give a specific update on Alexis.

Florida will have a final availability report on Saturday at around 7 p.m.

Although the front court depth took a hit with Condon and Alexis both out, the Gators received positive news regarding center Micah Handlogten, who announced Friday he will be forgoing his medical redshirt to return to the court for Saturday's game.

Handlogten suffered a gruesome ankle injury in last year's SEC Tournament championship and had planned to medically redshirt for the entirety of this season. He returned to practice in January and flirted with the idea of returning before deciding to hold onto his redshirt.

However, Florida's current injuries plus the realistic opportunity to compete for a national championship was far too great of an opportunity to pass up.

I asked Florida Gators big man Micah Handlogten how much better this team is now that he’s back:

“The sky is the limit. I literally think we can win the national championship.” pic.twitter.com/epGoyNaVQs

— Isaac Edelman (@IsaacEdelman) February 14, 2025

It's unclear where Handlogten will fit in the current rotation, which includes starter Rueben Chinyelu and sixth-man Thomas Haugh, who will likely start in Condon's place. With both Condon and Alexis out, he'll be expected to play plenty of minutes against the Gamecocks.

Tipoff between the Gators and Gamecocks on Saturday is at 8:30 p.m. with television coverage on SEC Network.