John Calipari evaluates Kentucky's first half 'dogfight' vs. Florida

Kentucky looked like it was about to push ahead by a dozen or more before halftime during Wednesday’s matchup against the Florida Gators.

Instead, five quick points in the final minute of the first half caused the Wildcats to enter the break with a 41-36 lead. Talking to ESPN’s Marty Smith at halftime, head coach John Calipari broke down what caused Florida’s swift comeback.

“There were some breakdowns on executing what we were trying to do,” Calipari said. “We had a chance to break this open here but we’re in a dogfight. Florida is really good and their guards are really good. If you’re not up on him, they’ll make a three. If you can make them bounce, then you’ve got a chance.”

It was guard Zyon Pullin who made the three-pointer to cut the lead to seven, followed by a Will Richard layup. Kentucky couldn’t capitalize on its final possession, and now the game is far from over, as the Gators even came out and took the lead early in the second half.

Reed Sheppard was given the start after it was revealed that starters Justin Edwards and DJ Wagner would miss Wednesday’s game with respective injuries. He led both teams with 11 points at the break.

Catch the exciting finish to Kentucky vs. Florida live on ESPN.

DJ Wagner, Justin Edwards ruled out vs Florida

The No. 10 ranked Kentucky Wildcats have another SEC challenge Wednesday night as they are set to take on East rival the Florida Gators.

Unfortunately, they will have to defend their homecourt against Florida without the services of DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards. According to KSR’s Matt Jones, Wagner and Edwards have both been ruled out of Wednesday night’s SEC East showdown.

The Gators enter the contest with a 14-6 record and 4-3 in conference play. Kentucky sits just ahead of Florida at 15-4 and 5-2.

A win tonight would help them keep pace with Alabama, who has the best conference record at 6-1 and is 14-6 overall, and the surprise team with the best overall record in the SEC this season, South Carolina, who is 18-3 and 6-2. But they will have to pick up the win absent 19.7 points per game from their backcourt.

After the Wildcats finish their battle with the Gators, they’ll host No. 5 Tennessee in a top-10 SEC showdown on Saturday. It will be the first of two matchups between the two rival programs this season.