NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Florida center Micah Handlogten broke his left leg in the opening minutes of the Southeastern Conference tournament final on Sunday and was taken off the court on a stretcher.
“You just hate to see him like that because he does everything the right way and works hard,” Florida coach Todd Golden said as he struggled to control his emotions after the 86-67 loss to No. 12 Auburn. “That's a very fluke injury, you know, and you don't see it very often in this game. To play in a big game like this, to go out like that, I feel for him.”
Handlogten, a 7-foot-1 sophomore, had two rebounds in two minutes and was trying to score a third when he landed awkwardly on his left foot with 17:46 left in the first half. He immediately fell down in pain and rolled onto his side, putting his hands over his face.
The sound of a bone seemingly breaking could be heard on the television with blood immediately visible on the back of his calf.
The game continued when Aden Holloway took a pass and completed a layup on the other end for Auburn. Then the game stopped as the coaches ran out to tend to Handlogten, and everyone inside Bridgestone Arena fell silent.
Golden thanked the medical staff at Florida, Auburn and the SEC for the quick response to Handlogten's treatment. Florida officials expected Handlogten to have surgery later Sunday at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Handlogten's parents were brought onto the court from their seats in the stands. Her mother, Danielle, dressed in her No. 3 jersey, knelt near her head while her son was treated on the court with her father, Ben, also near her.
Handlogten's leg was placed inside an air cast before he was placed on a backboard and then lifted onto a stretcher. His teammates approached him when Handlogten was carried off the court. He could be seen with fellow sophomore Riley Kugel crying on the Florida bench.
Handlogten averaged 5.5 points and was fifth in the SEC with 7.1 rebounds per game during the regular season. He entered Sunday's game ranked fourth nationally in offensive rebounding percentage.
“Losing him really affected us,” Florida forward Tyrese Samuel said. “We'll go out next week and continue playing for him.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
