With Yeguete and Frazier out, Gators look to end of bench for production

With junior forward Will Yeguete's (knee surgery) return possibly coming Saturday against Alabama and freshman guard Michael Frazier's (concussion) return date uncertain, the Gators come into tonight's game at Tennessee with six regular rotation members active.  6'6" junior "super sub" Casey Prather is the Gators' only backup forward, so he will probably see time at the center position.  After Prather, it's uncertain which one of the seldom-used freshman (Dillon Graham, Braxton Ogbueze, and DeVon Walker) will see the most action.  Nevertheless, it's almost unheard of for a team to win on the road with six players, so the freshmen will have a great opportunity to show what they can bring to the table and how hard they've been working in practice.  Coach Billy Donovan is considering them part of the rotation until the other pieces return, meaning they'll probably receive comparable minutes in the first half to Frazier or Yegeute.  "They gotta get in early (preferably in the first 10 minutes)," coach Donovan said Monday.  As for how many minutes they'll play, it's all "based on fatigue or foul trouble."  Fatigue might even be an issue for the freshmen, as the chunk of their minutes came at the beginning of the season.  Actually, these three freshmen saw their season-high in minutes in the first game of the season against Alabama State on November 11; Ogbueze played 23 minutes, Walker played 22, and Graham played 18.

Tonight, the Gators will play with a four-guard lineup for some stretches.  It is imperative that junior center Patric Young DOES NOT get in foul trouble.  Tennessee will be gearing their gameplan towards getting our players in foul trouble due to our limited depth.  These freshmen have waited all season to contribute in big games and I have confidence in them.     

Stats for Graham, Ogbueze, and Walker:

Dillon Graham (6'4"): 0.3 ppg, 0.2 rpg; 19 games played, 72 minutes, 3/15 fg, 0/8 3pt, 4 rebounds, 5 assists 

Braxton Ogbueze (6'1"): 0.9 ppg, 0.7 rpg; 18 games played, 89 minutes, 6/19 fg, 1/4 3pt, 12 rebounds, 5 assists

DeVon Walker (6'7"): 0.9 ppg, 0.7 rpg; 20 games played, 87 minutes, 3/19 fg, 0/6 3pt, 11/14 ft, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks

Other notes:

• Prather, from Jackson, Tennessee, will be playing a homecoming game tonight.
• The Volunteers swept the season series last season.
• Florida is 7-4 on the road this season.     
• Tennessee is 11-3 at home this season.

Final score prediction: Florida 72 - Tennessee 69