LEXINGTON — Kentucky’s first 20 minutes were uninspiring. The next 20 were far better.

Good thing for the Wildcats: It helped them avoid a loss to Georgetown College, an NAIA squad, on Friday night.

After being up just one point at intermission, UK came out with a passion in the second half, pulling away to win 92-69 at Rupp Arena in its first preseason exhibition.

Up 35-34 as it jogged out of the locker room, Kentucky scored eight points in the second half's opening minute to take a 43-34 advantage — its largest lead of the night to that point.

From there, the rout was on.

Thanks to the upperclassmen.

Seniors Tre Mitchell and Antonio Reeves led the way offensively, combining for 40 points — a game-high 22 for Mitchell and 18 for Reeves.

Freshman Jordan Burks also credited John Calipari. The coach, entering his 15th season at Kentucky, "snapped" on the team in the halftime locker room, per Burks' retelling.

"We weren't playing hard enough. ... So we all tightened up," Burks said. "You see what happened: We came back in the second half. Everybody bought in, and when you buy in, that's what's gonna happen: You're gonna win, and everybody's gonna eat."

Here are three things we learned as the Wildcats start looking ahead to another exhibition game next week, hosting Kentucky State at 7 p.m. Thursday:

Seniors provide steadying presence

All offseason, much has been made about the importance of Mitchell and Reeves. And much of that talk centered around the leadership they’d bring to a team featuring a whopping 10 underclassmen: two sophomores and an eight-man freshman class.

Friday, the senior duo led with their play more than their words.

With the Wildcats’ ballyhooed freshmen battling through opening-game uneasiness — while UK’s true opener isn’t until Nov. 6, Friday marked the first time any of the freshmen played at Rupp Arena against an opposing school — Mitchell and Reeves stepped up to right the ship.

"I had a couple freshmen walk up to me before the game like, 'I'm kind of nervous, bro. You feel me?' Things like that," said Reeves, who was 7 of 15 from the field. "And I just told them, 'You played in Canada (in the GLOBL JAM tournament) already, bro. It's just the same thing.' So I just told those guys they're gonna be fine, and (as) you keep being in these collegiate games, it's gonna get better."

Reeves displayed that cool resolve after the tense first half: He scored six of his 10 second-half points within the first five minutes, then sank two free throws (his final two points) with 3:50 to play before heading to the bench, showered in applause from an appreciative crowd. Mitchell was even better: He poured in 17 points — nailing 77% (7 for 9) of his attempts overall, and 75% (3 for 4) on 3-pointers — in the second half.

Their influence was most notable from distance: Kentucky knocked down eight 3-pointers Friday; Mitchell (four) and Reeves (two) accounted for six of them, the only members of the roster to make more than one.

There will be other nights this season when the Wildcats rely on their bevy of talented underclassmen.

But Friday, the seniors showed how it’s done.

Depth on display in scoring department

Nine UK players logged minutes Friday night; only one didn't score (freshman guard Joey Hart took the court for the final two minutes of the contest), while the other eight all finished with at least four points.

It speaks to what — on paper, and in hypothetical terms — should be one of the strengths of the team this season: its abundance of options offensively. Reeves is the leading returning scorer from last season and is a good bet to be tops on the team in that category in 2023-24. Possibly the only surprising aspect of Friday’s scoring distribution was that freshman guard D.J. Wagner only had four points (on 2-of-9 shooting, 0 for 3 on 3s).

If Reeves isn’t the Wildcats’ top scorer this season, Wagner likely will be. While his off game didn’t hurt UK on this night, against a foe that never should be a threat, it’s hard to imagine the team beating top-level clubs once the regular season begins if Wagner doesn’t play up to his five-star billing.

"I know how good D.J. is. I was begging him to shoot jump shots — pull up and shoot jump shots," Calipari said. "He is so good going to the rim. He gets to where, 'All right, we need a basket. I will go and get one.' He has done that his whole life."

Along with Wagner and Reeves, freshman guard Rob Dillingham’s scoring prowess is well documented; while he was nowhere close to his 40-point explosion in last week’s Blue-White scrimmage, the North Carolina native still managed to score 16 points, choosing Friday to be more of a distributor. He ended with a game-high five assists. And though he received scant playing time last season, sophomore Adou Thiero had 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting Friday after getting a starting nod.

"All of the guys were good," Calipari said. "We just need stuff like (tonight's game) so I can watch the tape and figure out where we have got to go."

Trio of 7-footers needs to return ASAP

All too often Friday, the Tigers had unimpeded drives to the basket.

That’s because there was no rim protector to deter them.

It’s not a knock on Mitchell, who is doing his best to man the middle at the moment. But at 6-foot-9, he’s not the most imposing presence. And he’s not a true big man, either; he’s playing out of position as an undersized center.

Kentucky is still waiting for its three tallest players to get the go-ahead: Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso are rehabbing from foot injuries, while Zvonimir Ivišić needs NCAA clearance following his professional career overseas.

For now, the Wildcats are short.

And short-handed.

Even so, Mitchell made the most of his role Friday, blocking a game-high three shots.

Mitchell, along with freshman wing Justin Edwards, had to shoulder the load on the boards, too. That pair totaled 17 between themselves, with Mitchell (nine rebounds) edging his younger counterpart by one (Edwards had eight).

Those rebounding numbers should decrease going forward with the return of the 7-foot trio, allowing Edwards and Mitchell to focus their energy elsewhere.

"We have to be a better rebounding team," said Calipari, whose club won the battle on the boards by 14 (46-32) Friday night. "(We have to be) more physical, which is on me. That means in practice, this is what we have got to do.

"And if you are not doing it, I have to hold them accountable."

C.L. Brown column: John Calipari and UK have big problem until 7-footers return

Ninth national title for the Wildcats? Why Kentucky basketball can – and can’t – win the national championship in 2023-24

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 game: What we learned about John Calipari's team