LEXINGTON — There are way more Stonehills in the NCAA than teams like Kansas. Kentucky, returning home on Friday to Rupp Arena after Tuesday night’s loss to the Jayhawks, treated both games the same.

UK didn’t waste time dispatching Stonehill, running out to a 21-point halftime lead en route to a 101-67 victory.

The Wildcats had plenty of reasons to be motivated to play the Jayhawks. National television audience. Battling the No. 1 ranked team. Playing in an NCAA Tournament like environment with Duke and Michigan State also on site.

The Cats had no such external motivating points against the Skyhawks. The game was streamed on SEC Network-plus. Stonehill was ranked No. 349 in the KenPom.com ratings. Even the home crowd was a bit muted compared to the decibels they normally raise.

UK graduate forward Tre Mitchell said coming off a loss was motivation enough.

"We got dudes that are hungry," Mitchell said. "They want to compete every night, regardless of who's lined up across. I think that that speaks volume on their character, and who they are as competitors."

That’s a sign of a good team in the making. When the effort and execution stay the same and the opponent doesn’t matter. If there was ever a time on the schedule for UK to overlook a team and have a lethargic showing, Friday night was it.

Set aside coming off a tough loss in which the Cats lost a 14-point lead in the second half to Kansas. Chances are, when UK players got the scouting report someone had to say, “Stonewho?”

Stonehill is located in Eaton, Massachusetts. And, yes, I had to look that up myself too. The Skyhawks have only played one full Division I basketball season as a member of the Northeast Conference. Before that, they competed in Division II, and last made the tournament in 2020.

They’re lumped in the same Division I transition that will keep James Madison from making a bowl game and Bellarmine basketball from being eligible for the NCAA Tournament.

A couple years back Kentucky probably had the same questions about Saint Peter’s. (Is it still too soon?) We know how that ended: in UK’s first-ever loss to a No. 15 seed in the Big Dance.

That’s why the Cats’ win was kind of a big deal, even while they were doing what was expected.

"Everybody has the same outlook on it and we all want to win so we don't want to come in games lackadaisical," said UK guard Rob Dillingham, who had 20 points and seven assists.

Their performance wasn’t without flaws. Early in the game there were several possessions where UK coach John Calipari wanted them to press after made baskets. Justin Edwards and later Reed Sheppard were the only ones who were doing it.

UK also started the second half flat, allowing Stonehill to score the first eight points before Calipari called a timeout. But those were the only real glitches.

The Cats made 17 3-pointers, which was not only the most in Calipari's tenure, it was the most since making 16 against UNC Asheville on Dec. 23, 1996.

"We got guys here that got a green light because they're really skilled," Calipari said.

Sheppard built off his 13-point performance against Kansas with a game-high 25 points coming off the bench, including 7-for-8 from 3-point range. It was the first time a UK player made seven 3s since Kellan Grady against Alabama on Feb. 19, 2022.

"The special thing about this team is if you're going, they're gonna keep finding you," Reed said. "They don't care. They're not gonna go down and just jack up shots just because you're scoring and they want to score. Like they're gonna make the right play."

Reed also added seven assists, which tied Dillingham for a game-high. They helped the Cats total 26 assists against Stonehill’s 3-2 zone that it played for the entire game.

UK showed the nation on Tuesday that, despite its youth, it is a team to take seriously. The Cats did the same on Friday night by not taking Stonehill for a joke.

C.L. Brown: UK basketball plays with poise vs. Kansas but needs to learn how to finish

Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@gannett.com, follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter atprofile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky vs Stonehill basketball: UK brings same energy after KU loss