“I didn’t like the play”: Florida coach Todd Golden speaks out on big man Alex Condon injury against Tom Izzo’s Mississippi State

Florida forward Alex Condon exited the team’s win over No. 22 Mississippi State with a right ankle sprain on Tuesday, and the No. 3 Gators’ head coach Todd Golden argued that the injury came on “a dirty play.”

Condon was looking for a rebound in the first minute of the SEC matchup when he suffered the ankle sprain. When the sophomore fell to the floor, Bulldogs forward RJ Melendez seemingly tried to keep him down, sweeping his arms around Condon’s neck.

“I didn’t like the play,” Golden told reporters postgame. “I thought it was a dirty play, you know, it was exacerbated by the pull-down, the horse collar. And really disappointing for that to happen to one of your very good players early in the ball-game, and at the same time I think it lit a fire under our group. I thought we responded the right way, and I thought our guys did a heck of a job of stepping up in his absence.”

NCAA Basketball: Florida at Auburn - Source: Imagn

Despite missing their star forward, who averages 10.6 points and an NCAA eighth-best 7.8 rebounds per game, the Gators pulled off an 81-68 win in the conference matchup.

NCAA Basketball: Florida at Mississippi State - Source: Imagn

When can Florida fans expect Alex Condon back?

After the game, the right ankle sprain was confirmed and it was announced that Condon’s X-rays were negative, which is promising news for the sophomore forward.

“Good news is his X-ray came back clean. Looks like a low ankle sprain,” Golden said. “Thought it was a dirty play, to be honest. Looked like a dirty play on film. Disappointing. But luckily at this point, we think it’s just a low ankle sprain and I hope to have him back in a little bit.”

How long "a little bit" is up to interpretation, but it seems that Florida is expecting to have Condon back at some point this season. Having the big man back would be huge for the Gators, who moved up three spots in the AP Poll this week and are competing for a top tournament seed.

This boost in the rankings comes after a week in which Florida defeated SEC foes, the Vanderbilt Commodores, and picked up a nine-point win at No. 1 Auburn. In the defeat of the Tigers, Alex contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists and shot an admirable 70% from the field.

As the Gators look to continue to assert their dominance, having Alex back as soon as possible will be essential.