Florida’s Tyree Appleby cleared after head injury, will start against Oral Roberts

After suffering a facial laceration against Virginia Tech, the guard will be back in Florida’s lineup in the Round of 32 on Sunday night.

Florida got some good news just before tip-off of its Second Round game against Oral Roberts in the NCAA Tournament. Guard Tyree Appleby, who exited the Gators’ First Round victory over Virginia Tech after taking an elbow to the forehead that required stitches in the locker room, has been cleared by the team’s medical personnel to play on Sunday night. He will start against the Golden Eagles, according to UF basketball SID Denver Parler.

According to Parler, Appleby will wear a headband to cover his laceration.

Appleby averages 11.2 points per game, and his scoring will be welcome against an ORU defense that’s allowing 75.6 points on average. He scored six points against the Hokies before he had to leave the game.

There’s still no word on the status of Omar Payne, who was held out of Friday’s game for an “in-house” issue. There’s been no official confirmation of the reason, but Payne was ejected in Florida’s loss to Tennessee in the SEC Tournament in the prior game.


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