Gators Guard Riley Kugel Inactive vs. Grambling State on Friday

Gators starting guard Riley Kugel will miss action against Grambling State on Friday as he nurses a bruised foot injury suffered in Florida's double-overtime victory over Michigan on Tuesday.

Soreness initially limited the two-guard during the Gators' Thursday practice. On Friday, UF's medical team and Golden elected to hold the second-year starter out of action with league play approaching.

FloridaGators.com's Chris Harry first reported the news.

Veteran guard Zyon Pullin, who transferred into the program after four years at UC Riverside this offseason, will replace Kugel in the starting lineup. Pullin is freshly removed from a highly efficient 22-point, five-assist performance against the Wolverines.

Kugel entered his sophomore season, garnering high expectations for his play after taking over as the team's top scorer in the season's final month. He posted 17 points per game in UF's last 10 appearances, showcasing his prowess as a shot creator and three-level scorer to garner NBA Draft buzz entering the offseason.

The Orlando, Fla., native elected to return to Gainesville for his second year under head coach Todd Golden and Co. to claim a lottery pick status.

"My expectations for him, honestly, it's pretty simple," Golden told All Gators in an exclusive interview this offseason, "Riley, he's in a great spot and it's just incremental growth off last year is really all he needs and if he can do that consistently, he will be a draft pick. He will be a first-rounder. 

"To his credit, he's made a big jump in terms of his kind of consistency in his work ethic. He's approached this season with a great focus and I feel like he's just been really unselfish and trying to bring everybody with him. His attitude has been really good and I think he's a guy that understands what's in front of him. He understands how important is for us to win, because if we don't do that, then his draft status won't be as good as it should be. 

"But, if we do do that, the numbers that he gets won't be that important if we win because people know how good he is and they know what he's capable of and he's already on every NBA team's radar. I'm grateful that he understands where he's at. I think because of that, it gives us the opportunity to have a really good season."

Starting in all 11 games for the Gators in the 2023-24 campaign thus far, Kugel has averaged 11.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game with three outings with over 20 points on his resume. He's sputtered for Florida of late, though, accounting for just 5.5 points per game since a 49-point stretch in two games against Baylor (25) and Wake Forest (24). 

The Gators will strive to get Kugel going entering the SEC slate of contests beginning on Jan. 6 against Kentucky inside the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.