Florida loses its best big man for NIT run

That's a bad ending to a great season.

Florida basketball had a pretty solid year under first-year coach Mike White finishing the season 19-14, which was the most wins under a first-year coach in Florida history. The Gators got there despite starting center John Egbunu suffering from a serious thumb ligament injury.

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In the Gators' first game in the NIT against state rival North Florida, they waxed the floor with the Ospreys. The Gators won 97-68, but lost Egbunu according to coach White. He said that after the game, Egbunu will need season-ending surgery on the thumb and so he will miss the game against Ohio State on Monday as well as any other games the team might have after that if they win.

Egbunu capped his season with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. He made 60 percent of his shots despite wearing a protective brace on his shooting hand and played three games with the injury before deciding on the surgery.