LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky's exhibition opener gave John Calipari exactly what he needed to know about his No. 11 Wildcats as the college basketball season draws closer.

After a routine 95-72 win over Kentucky Wesleyan College on Friday night at Rupp Arena, it was clear to the UK head coach what his practice focus needs to be moving forward.

"What I would tell you, 20 assists, nine turnovers, the way we're playing, the speed we're playing with, is pretty good," Calipari said of the good news.

The Cats placed five players in double-figure scoring, led by junior forward Keion Brooks and freshman guard TyTy Washington with 18 points apiece. Kentucky knocked down 11 of 29 from beyond the 3-point arc and, in general, looked like a vastly improved offensive club than the one that struggled to a 9-16 record last season.

And then the shortcomings.

"The biggest thing that came out was our interior defense in the second half," Calipari added. "(KWC forward Jamal Boyd) just went crazy. Twelve out of 17 (en route to a game-high 29 points). Again, we got to figure it out. I'll be honest, I have not zeroed in on it, but I told them after the game, if you can play interior defense, you're going to play for us.

"So you want to play? Play interior defense."

Kentucky Wesleyan shot a solid 46.2% for the game and a fantastic — or disturbing, depending on one's point of view — 56.3% in the second half.

Said Brooks: “I learned that we’re just not as good as we think we are. We got some stuff we need to tighten up, but we have a good team in terms of spacing the floor, getting in the lanes, and finding the right plays for each other... It was just a good test to see where we are at this point. I think going forward we can tighten our mistakes and we will be a lot better.”

Part of the defensive issues was due to Kentucky big man Oscar Tshiebwe dealing with a sore hip. He played only 17 minutes, giving the Cats 11 points and 10 rebounds before resting most of the second half.

Kentucky was never truly threatened, however, and simply had way too much firepower for the D2 Panthers.

In addition to Brooks, Washington, and Tshiebwe the Cats got 12 points and six assists from grad senior guard Davion Mintz, and 10 points, six assists, and three steals from junior guard Sahvir Wheeler.

"I don’t remember coaching against a team that is so rock-solid and so athletic and so explosive at every spot," KWC head coach Drew Cooper said. "Keion Brooks wasn’t exactly on the top of our scouting report, and someone like that is going to lead you in scoring. Then you have guys like (Kellan) Grady who are capable of 30-point nights (who scored a modest seven). They’re very talented."

Finding the right combination of that talent to grant the lion's share of the minutes is Calipari's challenge.

"Why do you think I played all these guys?" he said of a stat sheet that featured all 10 players with double-digit minutes of action. "Why do you think I played that many, instead of seven or eight? ... I need to know who's defending, who is going to fight. It's your choice.

“How about this? I'm a college professor and I'm giving them the answers to the test. Here it is. I'm telling you what it is."

*****

GAME BALL:

Keion Brooks, Kentucky - The Cats' junior forward set the tone with eight of his team's first 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers that showed off his commitment to improving his offensive skills during the off-season. Brooks, a career 23.4% shooter from beyond the arc, knocked down four of six treys on the night.

BY THE NUMBERS:

0 - Turnovers by Kentucky in the second half. The Cats finished with just nine for the game while dishing out 20 assists.

11 of 29 - Shooting from 3-point range by the Cats.

21-0 - UK advantage on fast-break points.

32 - Largest lead for the Cats, 79-47, with 7:46 remaining in the game.

139-12 - UK's all-time record in exhibition games. The Cats have won 18 straight going back to Aug. 17, 2014, against the Dominican Republic squad in the final game of the Big Blue Bahamas exhibition tour.

QUOTABLE:

"I think that they had the opportunity and the scholarship money to go out and sign some veteran guys who have won a lot of games at a very, very high level. Between (Kellan) Grady, (Sahvir) Wheeler and Oscar Tshiebwe, they’ve done that. It’s my belief that when you have experience and have guys that have been there and done that before, it can make for a quicker assimilation. I think they have the opportunity this year to do that. They look very, very polished." -- KWC head coach Drew Cooper on the Cats' veteran roster entering the 2021-22 season.

UP NEXT:

The Cats will face Miles College next Friday in its second and final tune-up for the regular season. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET at Rupp Arena with broadcast on the SEC Network.