Final: Kentucky 76, Texas Tech 65

Kentucky got its first look at a ranked opponent this preseason and passed it. The Cats beat No. 19 Texas Tech 76-65 in an exhibition on Friday night at Rupp Arena, moving to 2-0 in the preseason. It doesn't count on either record, but it was a much tougher test than last week's 69-49 win over Little Rock.

Our Take: it was ugly early and the threes still aren't falling, but this group took a punch from a good, well-coached team and finished stronger than it started. That's the part worth keeping.

Five Wildcats scored in double figures. Malachi Moreno and Milan Momcilovic led the way with 15 points each, and Moreno added six rebounds. Freshman Mason Williams had 14, Alex Wilkins put up 13 points and seven assists after taking over at point guard, and Ousmane N'Diaye added 10 points and six boards.

How it went: Kentucky turned it over seven times in the first 11 minutes and missed its first five threes, and Texas Tech went up 25-18 with about six minutes left in the half. Then Wilkins settled the offense. A 10-0 run, capped by a Momcilovic three, put UK ahead 28-25, and the Cats led 37-33 at halftime. Kentucky stretched the lead to 12 early in the second half, but a five-minute field-goal drought let the Red Raiders tie it at 52. Williams answered with a strong stretch, Wilkins hit two deep threes to make it 70-61 with under three minutes left, and Momcilovic's second-chance three pushed the lead to double digits.

By the numbers: UK shot 49 percent from the field and 19 of 22 at the line, but just 29.2 percent from three. After those seven early turnovers, the Cats gave it away only four more times. Texas Tech shot 40.6 percent and went 8 of 30 from deep.

Next up: Central Florida comes to Rupp on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 6 PM ET on SEC Network in the final exhibition. The real opener is Manhattan on Nov. 3. GO CATS.

Sources: KSR/On3, The Cats' Pause/247Sports (Cole Parke), Sarandon Raboin, Courier Journal.