LEXINGTON — Zvonimir Ivišić rose from his seat, pulled off his warmup gear to reveal his No. 44 jersey and jogged toward the scorer's table. As he did, the roars at Rupp Arena grew louder and louder.

But he had to wait: There was a timeout on the floor.

After his long, circuitous journey to gain admittance to the University of Kentucky, then having to sit out while the NCAA determined his eligibility, what difference would a few more seconds make?

Finally, once the timeout concluded at the 16-minute mark of Saturday's first half against Georgia, Ivišić left the huddle and checked into the game.

It was a notable moment: Five months after he committed to Kentucky, and three months after he was admitted to the university, the 7-foot-2 freshman from Croatia took the floor for the first time as a Wildcat.

Then he proceeded to put on a show in a 105-96 victory for No. 10 Kentucky.

His final, stunning, dazzling line: 13 points (5-of-7 shooting, 3 for 4 on 3s), five rebounds, two assists, three blocks and two steals. In just 16 minutes.

"To be honest, I didn't have any expectations," Ivišić said. "I was just trying not to get lost in the game, because of adrenaline and being nervous and stuff. But, in the end, it went good."

He wasted no time making his presence felt: On Ivišić's first defensive possession, he stuffed Georgia guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim for a block. He recorded an assist and steal in the next two minutes.

The highlights just kept coming: He tossed a no-look, behind-the-back pass to an open Antonio Reeves, who knocked down a 3-pointer to push UK's lead to 19-10. And it led the Bulldogs to call a timeout as the crowd was at a fever pitch.

"That was the only thing that surprised me," said senior forward Tre Mitchell, who scored a team-high 23 points Saturday. "The rest, I knew he's more than capable of. He's unbelievably versatile for his size, and he understands the game, too. So everything he did didn't surprise me at all, except that pass ... because, like, I think that was his first touch (on offense)?

"His first touch was a behind-the-back pass."

But he was nowhere close to done.

After subbing in with 8:20 left in the first half, he proceeded to take four shots in the next 2 ½ minutes.

He made them all, a trio of 3s and a fourth that initially was ruled a triple before being bumped down to a 2-pointer upon review — the decibel level in the building rising accordingly each time the ball found the bottom of the net.

"We knew he was a very talented and skilled player," Georgia coach Mike White said, "but to anticipate him coming in and firing from the deep immediately with the confidence level that he did was something we did not see coming."

Ivišić finally missed a shot in the second half. The first, a contested dunk in which the crowd let officials have it after not whistling the foul; the second, a triple from the corner that grazed the iron.

His lone basket of the final 20 minutes was memorable: Ivišić threw down a two-handed slam with 4:48 remaining to give the Wildcats Points 99 and 100, respectively.

Ivišić was so good — his star shining so bright, so quickly — it blotted out yet another stellar performance from the Kentucky (14-3, 4-1 SEC) offense. The nation’s top-scoring team at 90.8 per game entering Saturday, the Wildcats hit the century mark for the third time (Stonehill and Marshall were the others) this season.

And Saturday, they did it behind a quintet of double-digit scorers.

Aside from Ivišić and Mitchell, Reeves had 21 points, followed by freshman guards D.J. Wagner (18) and Reed Sheppard (12).

Still, all attention on this night was squarely focused on the Wildcats' most hard-to-miss player. The tallest player on the roster. The one making his first appearance as a collegian. And while he affected the game in so many ways — he posted the best plus-minus rating of any player Saturday, registering a plus-14 — coach John Calipari didn't find it difficult to point out flaws.

Ivišić got pushed around at times, Calipari said. The Bulldogs (13-5, 3-2) all too often sealed the interior and prevented Ivišić (and the Wildcats' other bigs) from grabbing rebounds. And Calipari noted Ivišić, along with fellow freshmen Wagner and Rob Dillingham, threw passes that led to turnovers "for no reason."

Not that anyone can be perfect.

"Sometimes, I probably expect too much," Calipari said. "I want them to be at their best every moment, and that's not going to happen."

It won't be for lack of trying on Ivišić's part, though.

In the middle of his postgame news conference, flanked on every side by curious reporters, Ivišić casually uttered a remark that should send chills down the spine of opposing coaches who now must start game planning for the Wildcats' newest weapon.

"It'll be a lot easier," he said, "the next game."

Milestone victory: John Calipari adds to Kentucky basketball legacy, reaching 400 wins, vs. Mississippi State

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball: Freshman center Zvonimir Ivišić dazzles in debut