Long before the 2019-20 college basketball season tipped off, Kentucky head coach John Calipari was feeling good about the big man in the middle of his team photo.

In junior center Nick Richards, the Wildcats had a potential weapon on both ends of the floor that few teams could match, the UK boss claimed.

On Saturday in Lubbock, Texas, a rabid home crowd and a national TV audience got to see exactly what Calipari was preaching. Richards scored 25 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, blocked four shots, and hit the game-winning free throws with 10 seconds remaining in overtime to lead No. 15 Kentucky to a 76-74 win over No. 18 Texas Tech in the Big 12-SEC Challenge.

"How many guys have 7-footers who can do what that kid does?" said Calipari, rehashing his point from late this summer.

"We have no chance of winning without Nick," added UK sophomore guard Immanuel Quickley, who added 21 points for the Cats. "What he did for us, rebounding the ball, scoring the ball in the paint when we needed it... 25 and 14 and four blocks, there's not too many big guys in the country doing that."

Richards did a little bit of everything in putting the Cats on his back. He went 7-for-10 from the field. He made 11 of 14 free throws. He was a rim protector. And he was clutch, making all five of his free throws in overtime.

Kentucky (15-4, 5-1 SEC) needed every bit of that effort.

The Cats led by as many as 10 in regulation and by six early in overtime. Texas Tech (12-7, 3-3 Big 12) was relentless, fueled by a raucous, sold-out crowd at United Supermarkets Arena.

The Red Raiders held UK to just one field goal over the final 9:32 of regulation to force overtime. The Cats regrouped and grabbed a 72-66 lead on a three-point play by Richards and a 3-pointer by Nate Sestina.

Texas Tech evened it up at 72 on a bucket by Kyler Edwards and four straight free throws from Terrence Shannon Jr.

A pair of free throws from Quickley put his team back in front with 47 seconds to go. The Red Raiders' Kevin McCullar had a chance to do the same moments later but missed the free throw on a potential three-point play.

Tied at 74, Kentucky's EJ Montgomery deterred a shot by Tech's Shannon in the lane, and Richards pulled down the rebound. He was fouled and made the game-winning free throws with 10 seconds to go.

Said Quickley of Richards at the line: "He told me, 'Don't worry, I got this.'"

The Red Raiders' final chance was thwarted by UK point guard Ashton Hagans, who stole the ball from a driving Davide Moretti and deflected the ball out of bounds off the Tech player's leg.

It was an "off" game for Hagans, but he still managed to record six points, seven assists, and three steals -- saving the biggest for last.

Texas Tech was led by Edwards with 18 points and Moretti with 15.

*****

In this Cats Illustrated "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory…

THE GOOD:

This felt like the type of game that you may encounter in the NCAA Tournament, minus the rabid home-court advantage. It was a game of runs, and UK never let a bad spurt keep it down. There was a lot of mental toughness behind this one, perhaps best exemplified by Ashton Hagans, who shook off a subpar game (by his standards) to come up with a huge game-clinching defensive stop at the end. And we can't have a "GOOD" section without singing the praises of Nick Richards. Much more on his monster effort below.

THE BAD:

It was an uncharacteristic rough night for both Ashton Hagans and Tyrese Maxey. The UK guards combined to go 4-of-16 from the field, took some questionable shots, and made some iffy decisions at times. Kentucky winning in that environment with both of those guys not at their best would have been unthinkable leading up to the game.

THE UGLY:

Kentucky's three-guard lineup of Ashton Hagans, Immanuel Quickley, and Tyrese Maxey combined to commit 15 of the team's 20 turnovers. It was a primary factor in not being able to extend a 10-point lead to a larger margin in the second half.

GAME BALL:

Nick Richards, Kentucky -- Our easiest game ball choice of the season to date. Give him two game balls. Heck, send him the whole ball rack.

BY THE NUMBERS:

1st - Kentucky player, Nick Richards, to put up a 20-point, 13-rebound, 4-block game since Anthony Davis in 2012.

4-3 - The Cats' record in the Big 12-SEC Challenge, including three straight wins.

5-0 - UK's lead in the all-time series with Texas Tech, including 2-0 in Lubbock. It was the Cats’ first there since 1965.

21 of 25 - The Cats at the free-throw line, 84%

25 - Texas Tech points off 20 Kentucky turnovers.

38-32 - Kentucky advantage in the rebound column.

47 - Feet, distance of Immanuel Quickely’s mid-court shot at the buzzer to end the first half, giving UK a 36-34 lead.

54 - Game win streak snapped for Texas Tech against non-conference opponents.

QUOTABLE:

"Everybody has their own story. Just because I went to a school that's known for one-and-done doesn't mean I had to be one-and-done. It took me time to develop, but over the past three years, I've had the best time of my life, meeting incredible people and having the best coaching staff in the world training me to be the player I am now." -- UK junior center Nick Richards

UP NEXT:

Kentucky returns to action on Wednesday at Rupp Arena against Vanderbilt. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 ET on the SEC Network. The Commodores (8-10, 0-5 SEC) are playing tonight at South Carolina.