NEW YORK _ Kentucky's final tune-up before facing heavyweight competition was just that: a tune-up.
UK dispatched Hofstra 96-73 on Sunday in what was called the Brooklyn Hoops Winter Festival.
Next for the Cats promises to be much hotter competition. Going into this weekend, UK's next two opponents, North Carolina and Louisville, had a ratings percentage index of 12 and seven, respectively.
Hofstra, which had an RPI of 212, was the last of 10 UK opponents to date that had a collective average RPI of 151.9.
Isaiah Briscoe, a sophomore from Newark, N.J., led the way. His second homecoming game was as charming as the first. He scored 19 points (two shy of a career high) and made six assists (one shy of a career high).
Last month at Madison Square Garden, Briscoe equaled a career high of 21 points.
Briscoe's two freshman backcourt mates also played well. Malik Monk scored 20 points, the sixth game he's had 20 or more points. De'Aaron Fox added 15, while Bam Adebayo chipped in with 14 points and seven rebounds.
That Kentucky would steamroll his team did not surprise Hofstra coach Joe Mihalich. On Thursday, he all but predicted a lopsided defeat.
"They beat Arizona State by 60 [actually by 46]," Mihalich said of the Cats. "Not Winona State. Not Transylvania State. They beat Arizona State by 60. So it's just a powerful, impressive, talented team. This will be the only game I won't enjoy watching them play."
Kentucky's 48-33 halftime lead was par for the course this season. The Cats went into the game averaging a halftime lead of 48.1-32.5.
But how UK got there might have been a surprise. Hofstra competed and got within 36-33 inside the final four minutes.
But Kentucky restored predictability by scoring the final 12 points of the first half.
Monk and Briscoe, the two main guns for Kentucky in the first half, led the mini breakout. Monk, who scored UK's final seven points of the half, hit a 3-pointer from the right wing with 4.5 seconds to set the halftime score. That completed his 12-point half.
Briscoe led Kentucky with 15 points in the first half. His and-one on a post-up came early in the 12-0 run.
As expected, Kentucky shot holes in a Hofstra defense that came into the game ranked No. 281 in points allowed (77.9 per game) and No. 268 in opponents' shooting (45.8 percent).
UK made more than half its shots in the first half (18 of 35). Briscoe, who made six of seven shots, hit a three-pointer. He had been 3-for-15 from 3-point range this season.
Dominique Hawkins, who had been four of 15, also made a 3.
Briscoe shifted to passing mode early in the second half. His crisp swing pass to the right corner netted a 3-pointer by Willis. Three possessions later, Briscoe passed up a sure transition layup and back-passed to the trailing Adebayo for a dunk.
That extended UK's lead to 62-36 and prompted a Hofstra timeout with 16:07 left.
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