Short-handed Kentucky shows offensive spark in final exhibition. The season starts Monday.

The offensive struggles from earlier in the week were nowhere to be found Thursday night.

Kentucky came out firing in its final tuneup for the regular season, matching Sunday night’s full-game point total before halftime and ultimately defeating Kentucky State, 111-53, in an exhibition game in Rupp Arena.

On Sunday, the Cats struggled against Missouri Western State’s tightly packed defense, winning that game 56-38 but looking pretty miserable offensively in the process. The No. 4-ranked Wildcats were also outrebounded by the Division II Griffons in that one.

Neither was an issue Thursday night.

Kentucky exceeded its Sunday point total on Lance Ware’s bucket with 3:42 left in the first half against Kentucky State. That layup made it a 57-19 game, and the Cats led 61-25 at halftime. They also outrebounded the Thorobreds, 33-19, in the first half, including eight offensive rebounds. Kentucky won the final battle of the boards by a 57-38 tally.

Antonio Reeves started 1-for-5 from three-point range before finishing with a flurry, ultimately going 5-for-10 from deep and leading the Cats with 23 points. Jacob Toppin added 21 points and six rebounds. CJ Fredrick had 14 points, five rebounds and six assists, and Chris Livingston (14 points), Cason Wallace (12) and Lance Ware (10) all scored in double figures. Ugonna Onyenso led the team with 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Kentucky managed Thursday night without Oscar Tshiebwe, Sahvir Wheeler and Daimion Collins, leaving the Cats with just eight scholarship players.

Tshiebwe and Wheeler sat out the final exhibition game of the preseason with injuries. Collins’ father died unexpectedly Tuesday, and he has returned home to Texas to be with his family.

John Calipari said on his pregame radio show that the game would serve as an opportunity for some other players to play extended minutes, and he spread that playing time around.

No scholarship Wildcat played fewer than 18 minutes, and senior walk-on Brennan Canada, who has emerged as an important player in UK’s practices during his time with the program, even made an appearance in the first half.

Kentucky hit the 100-point mark on a Toppin free throw with 3:11 left in the game. A few seconds later, Toppin gave the Rupp Arena crowd a scare, falling hard on his backside after attempting an alley-oop finish on a fast break. Toppin stayed on the court for a couple of minutes before being helped off, and Calipari played three walk-ons, Livingston and Onyenso from there.

Tragedy for UK basketball family

Sophomore forward Daimion Collins was not with the team Thursday night following the death of his father earlier this week.

Ben Collins passed away unexpectedly Tuesday while visiting his son in Lexington. He was 43 years old. Daimion Collins has returned home to Atlanta, Texas, to be with his family.

“We are saddened by the loss of Ben Collins,” UK Coach John Calipari said on Twitter on Tuesday night. “He was a loving father and husband who wanted the best for his family. It’s been a really rough day for the team, staff and the basketball family, but we will do everything we can to support the Collins family through this difficult time. We ask that you please keep Daimion, his family and everyone who loved Ben in your thoughts and prayers.”

A moment of silence was observed in Rupp Arena prior to Thursday’s game.

Oscar Tshiebwe update

As expected, reigning national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe did not play Thursday night as he continues to recover from a knee procedure last month.

Tshiebwe did do a little more on the Rupp Arena court than earlier in the week, however. The UK center did not make an appearance in the arena until the final round of warm-ups Sunday night. Even then, he never did anything basketball-related, instead standing off to the side and chatting with teammates and fans. On Thursday, he made his way onto the floor about two hours before the scheduled tip-off, dribbled around and put up some shots. He also shot the ball during the team’s final warm-ups before the Kentucky State game.

John Calipari hasn’t put a timetable on Tshiebwe’s return, but he did say after the game Thursday that he would be “shocked” if Tshiebwe is able to return for the team’s season opener against Howard University on Monday.

What’s next for UK?

The preseason is over, and the Wildcats’ regular-season opener is just around the corner. Kentucky will host Howard University in Rupp Arena at 6:30 p.m. Monday, and the game will be shown live on SEC Network.

This will be the first meeting between UK and Howard, which finished last season with a 16-13 overall record and 9-6 mark in the MEAC. The Bison finished second in the league but were defeated by Coppin State in the opening game of the conference tournament.

Howard’s top returning players are 6-foot-10 forward Steve Settle, who was second on the team in scoring and rebounds last season; and 5-11 point guard Elijah Hawkins, who was third on the team in points and led the squad with 5.6 assists per game.

The Bison are entering their fourth season under Coach Kenneth Blakeney, who led the program to its first winning record in 20 years last season. Blakeney played at Duke in college.

Box score from Kentucky basketball’s 111-53 exhibition win over Kentucky State

Where to watch, how to follow the UK men’s basketball season opener vs. Howard

‘Where’s your energy?!’ How a Kentucky freshman endeared himself to John Calipari.

What’s going on with Kentucky basketball recruiting? Latest links from the Next Cats blog.

Kentucky point guard Sahvir Wheeler won’t play in Wildcats’ final exhibition game

Star UK basketball recruit signs with pro league. He’s still coming to Kentucky.

The case against ‘University-6’ ends with a whimper. But for U of L, the harm is done.

Why CJ Fredrick became Oscar Tshiebwe’s favorite Wildcat to team up with in practice