All season, Kentucky men’s basketball has struggled against its biggest opponent — the injury bug.

The Cats lost three of their starters throughout the first half of the season, first with Jaland Lowe, then Jayden Quaintance, and most recently Kam Williams, who suffered a foot injury on Jan. 21 against Texas.

Against all odds, the Cats have found a way to adjust and fill the voids left in the absence of three of their best players, with guys off the bench willing to step up in significant ways, leading Kentucky to reenter the AP Top 25 last week, while picking up wins in eight of nine straight matchups.

However, in the 92–83 loss to No. 14 Florida, Kentucky will most likely lose its Top 25 spot, having won eight of its last 10 games—and only three of its last five.

For what felt like the first time all season, Kentucky’s bench depth became the difference in a game decided by just nine points.

Florida’s starting five consisted of 6-foot-10 Reuben Chinyelu, 6-11 Alex Condon, 6-9 Thomas Haugh, along with guards Boogie Fland at 6-3 and Xavian Lee at 6-4.

The Gators also rotated Micah Handlogten for significant minutes, who stands at 7-1.

Kentucky rolled out its typical starting five of 6-5 Denzel Aberdeen, 6-5 Collin Chandler, 6-11 Andrija Jelavic, 6-5 Otega Oweh and 7-footer Malachi Moreno, with Brandon Garrison at 6-10 and Mo Dioubate at 6-7 providing size off the bench.

In the first half alone, Malachi Moreno picked up three fouls, limiting him to just eight minutes on the court through the first 20 minutes.

As the Cats’ most accurate shooter at 59%, and both the leading rebounder (6.4) while averaging 1.9 blocks per game, it was a significant loss for the team, and unfortunately, the second half wouldn’t play out in his favor either.

Only a minute and a half into the second, he committed his fourth, putting him in jeopardy of fouling out. He played more minutes, finishing with 12, but that still left him with 21 minutes on the court.

Even with the limited playing time, Moreno still recorded an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double while adding a block and a steal. Having him available for more minutes undoubtedly would have been huge for Kentucky and could have allowed the Cats to pull off the upset.

Unfortunately for Kentucky, it wasn’t just Moreno struggling with the foul calls.

Just five minutes into the second half, Garrison committed three fouls over the span of just 14 seconds, which almost immediately limited the minutes Mark Pope was able to have him on the court.

He eventually fouled out with just under two minutes remaining, committing his fourth at the 1:20 mark and his fifth with 58 seconds to go — with the Cats down by just seven points.

In the second half alone, Kentucky committed 17 fouls, with 10 coming from its bigs.

With both Garrison and Moreno in foul trouble, Andrija Jelavic and Mo Dioubate were pretty much the only height they had otherwise, but even then, they were getting called on almost every play.

“It was hard. Malachi had a terrific game in limited minutes. You know, we felt better when he was on the floor,” Mark Pope said. “I thought he gave us a physicality and a length that was a real factor for us. So it was tough to manage with him not on the floor.”

Kentucky was simply running out of height that could even compete at Florida’s level, and the Gators were known for having one of the fastest offenses in the country, which the Wildcats couldn’t seem to keep up with.

What could’ve easily saved them are two players in particular — Williams and Quaintance.

Quaintance, Kentucky’s NBA lottery pick, hasn’t played since Jan. 7. After returning from his ACL injury, he has only played a total of four games for just 66 total minutes.

Although Quaintance hasn’t given the Cats any significant numbers in his limited performances, no doubt having another 6-10 out there for the Cats would’ve helped the team tremendously, especially on the rebound front.

However, the Cats’ biggest loss by far was Williams, and his presence was undoubtedly needed in this game.

Aside from his size alone, Williams proved to be the most important aspect of this team. Ahead of his injury, he led the team in the plus-minus category, totaling 191 without entering the minus category in a single game.

Six games and four wins later on the bench, nobody has caught up to Williams, with Denzel Aberdeen now in second at 184 following the Florida game.

In the second half, Kentucky was outrebounded 25-17, and the second and third chances on the boards were what gave Florida the edge.

Having both Quaintance and Williams available would’ve given them better chances on the glass and, in general, would’ve expanded their depth and rotation.

It’s also worth noting that on the bench, the size has always been there.

Redshirt junior Reece Potter stands at 7-1, and freshman Brayden Hawthorne, who stands at 6-8. It’s not as if Pope unrecruited bigs by any means — he just got unlucky with the hand he was dealt and the circumstances.

Unfortunately, even with the fight Kentucky gave, bringing it within one or two scores multiple times after being down by as much as 16, Florida was simply the better team.

“They have tremendous size, but I think they’re skilled also,” Mark Pope said about the Gators. “I think they’re smart players and they’re physical and they’re pretty relentless and they understand their roles, and they do a nice job. It’s what they hang their hat on.”