Florida Guard Tyree Appleby Elbowed in Face, Exits vs. Virginia Tech
Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Florida guard Tyree Appleby exited Florida's first-round contest on Friday after taking an elbow to the nose from Virginia Tech forward Keve Aluma.
Appleby left the game and was taken to the locker room with a forehead laceration, per CBS Sports' Tracy Wolfson. His return is questionable.
Appleby is Florida's fourth-leading scorer in 2020-21, averaging 11.4 points per game on 36.4 percent from three. He tallied six points and five rebounds before exiting on Friday.
Florida entered the 2021 men's tournament as the No. 7 seed in the South Region, entering the tournament at 14-9. The Gators trailed Virginia Tech 33-27 at the half, though they seized a 64-61 lead in the final seconds. But the Hokies came through in the clutch before time expired. Virginia Tech guard Naheim Alleyne drilled a three with less than a second left, sending the game to overtime after scoring Virginia Tech's last 12 points.
Alleyne enteres overtime leading all scorers with 26 points. Forward Colin Castleton leads the Gators with 14 points.
