No bigs and ‘nervous’ freshmen. Kentucky’s first exhibition could signal tough road ahead.

There’s plenty of reason to think this Kentucky basketball season will be a roller-coaster ride, especially in the early going.

Two-thirds of the scholarship players are freshmen. The upperclassmen are few. The available post players are fewer. The schedule is tough, and the regular season starts soon.

John Calipari has a lot of obstacles in his way as he tries to return this UK program to the excellence of his first few years on the job.

There will be struggles aplenty. But with a roster like this — potential NBA draft picks abound and two seasoned veterans — there will always be hope, too, no matter how bad things might look in the beginning.

Exhibit A: Friday night. The end result: Kentucky 92, Georgetown College 69.

That sounds about right for an exhibition game against a quality preseason opponent who went to the NAIA national semifinals last season and returned just about every key player from that team.

Well, that final score didn’t quite sum up the night Kentucky had. But the night probably summed up how this season is likely to go, at least over the next few weeks.

The Wildcats will surely struggle mightily at times as they try to find their way.

That was on full display in the opening minutes. Three of Kentucky’s first five shot attempts were blocked. The Cats’ NAIA opponent actually held the lead several minutes into the game. UK took just a one-point advantage into the halftime locker room. And it could have been worse.

Freshman guard Rob Dillingham fouled a Georgetown player about 75 feet from the basket with just 1.5 seconds left on the clock, giving the Tigers a one-and-one opportunity that — if converted — would’ve given them the halftime lead in Rupp Arena. The first free throw of that one-and-one clanged off the rim, keeping the Cats in front, but the first 20 minutes of this preseason was surely cause for a little worry.

“I didn’t think we were very aggressive to start the game,” Calipari said afterward.

UK shot just 2-for-9 from 3-point range in the first half. The Cats outrebounded Georgetown College 22-20 over the first 20 minutes, a meager advantage against what should have been an overmatched opponent. The Tigers battled, and they went right at the Wildcats, the team ranked No. 16 in the country

“We gotta be a better rebounding team,” Calipari said. “We gotta be more physical, which is on me. That means, in practice, this is what we gotta do. And if you’re not doing it, I have to hold them accountable.”

And then the Cats came out of the halftime locker room, and they immediately showed a glimpse of that promise.

Adou Thiero made an old-fashioned three-point play right out of the gate. He followed that up with an immediate steal and layup. Less than 30 seconds later, Antonio Reeves nailed a 3-pointer. Kentucky’s one-point lead was now a nine-point lead. It happened in less than a minute, and the flurry wasn’t over. By the time Reeves nailed another 3 with 15:41 left in the game, UK led 54-40, and Georgetown couldn’t wait for the first TV timeout of the half to use one of its own. The Cats controlled things from there, but they didn’t take their first 20-point lead until there was about a minute on the clock.

Kentucky showed its potential in fits and starts. The Cats also showed how far they have to go.

That begins with youth.

“Just relax out there. It’s gonna be OK.”

That’s what Reeves — a fifth-year college player — said he was telling some of the freshmen early on.

“Before the game, I was a little nervous.”

That’s what Dillingham — an 18-year-old playing in Rupp for the first time — said afterward.

The three players with college experience on this team — Reeves, Thiero and fifth-year player Tre Mitchell — combined for 50 points and collectively went 20-for-32 from the floor.

Dillingham was the only freshman to hit double digits. He had 16 points and went 7-for-11 from the field.

The other freshmen went 9-for-31. Justin Edwards, projected by some to be the No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA Draft, was 3-for-10. D.J. Wagner, a potential lottery pick, was 2-for-9 and scored just four points to go with only one assist.

“They’re trying to figure things out, but definitely have a ton of potential,” said Georgetown coach Chris Briggs, speaking of the team as a whole. “As they progress and they come together and start to jell as a team and figure things out, I think they’ll definitely be a dangerous team this season.”

Part of that process will be the freshmen learning the college game and settling into things.

Dillingham doesn’t see that as a problem.

“Once I got going, it was pretty easy,” he said. “Because, it’s basketball. We’ve been doing this all our lives.”

Reeves saw rushed shots and “me basketball” in the early going, but he also saw that start to fade away as the game went on.

“I feel like we’re gonna get there eventually,” he said. “… They all want to just win. That’s their main purpose for coming here. They don’t want to be selfish.”

The process will continue. And it won’t be as easy as flipping a switch against Georgetown College. Not with Kansas and North Carolina and Gonzaga and a tough-as-nails SEC ahead of them.

Part of that process will also be developing a post identity.

With UK’s trio of 7-footers — Aaron Bradshaw, Zvonimir Ivisic and Ugonna Onyenso — all watching from the sidelines, the smaller Tigers all of a sudden weren’t that much smaller.

“We came in expecting them not to have their bigs,” senior forward Cam Brooks-Harris said. “So that’s a big difference. Having three 7-footers ready to go makes a huge difference in any basketball game, so that was kind of our emphasis. Like, ‘Let’s go to the rim. Why not?’”

Brooks-Harris scored a team-high 21 points. He had two dunks, one layup and made nine free throws. The 6-7, 190-pounder probably doesn’t do that if the Cats have more length on the court.

“When you add those guys, that’s definitely going to be something that will help them out, for sure, especially towards the end of the season,” Briggs said. “I mean, that’s how you win: defend and rebound. Pretty sure three 7-footers are going to help them do that.

“It’ll be fun to watch.”

It sure will. Whenever that happens. Bradshaw and Onyenso are still out with foot injuries. Ivisic is still awaiting clearance from the NCAA. All missed out on crucial development time this preseason. Even when they return, it won’t be easy to just jump in and make an impact.

Until one or two or three of those guys are ready, and until those other freshmen start to figure things out on a consistent basis, the roller-coaster ride is likely to continue. And so will the learning opportunities.

“You know, I like the fact that it was a close game,” Calipari said. “And I told them at halftime, ‘I’m loving this, guys.’ Because this should slap you in the mouth and wake you up and then get you to understand: you’re at Kentucky now. Every team comes out and does this. I don’t care who we’re playing, they’re playing the same way. But if you’re not ready to play, the other team may make more jump shots than Georgetown did. And you’re down 18 at half.”

Next game

Kentucky State at No. 16 Kentucky

What: The second of UK’s two preseason exhibition games against in-state opponents

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

TV: SEC Network Plus (online only)

Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1

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