LEXINGTON, Ky. _ A youth-versus-experience angle could have given Friday's finale of the Bluegrass Showcase some pizzazz.
With sophomore leader Isaiah Briscoe sitting out a second straight game, Kentucky started four freshmen.
Tennessee-Martin started four seniors, who presumably would be hardened to handle this week's three-road-games-in-five-days schedule.
But Kentucky's 111-76 victory was a case of youth being served. Freshmen scored UK's first 30 points of the second half.
That onslaught propelled Kentucky to a bit of history that only the oldest of fans put in perspective. The latest edition of Kentucky basketball became the third UK team to open a season with six straight victories by 21 or more points.
The 1932-33 Wildcats also won their first six games by 21 or more points. The 1947-48 Kentucky team won its first seven games by 24 or more points (average margin of victory was 40.4 points).
Malik Monk led all scorers with 26 points. He also had seven assists. Backcourt mate De'Aaron Fox added 16 points.
Bam Adebayo had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Wenyen Gabriel added 15 points.
Sacha Killeya-Jones became a fifth UK freshman in double figures. He scored 12 points.
Tennessee-Martin, which lost 86-83 at Mississippi on Nov. 11, fell to 5-2. The Skyhawks' record against current members of the Southeastern Conference fell to 1-39. Their only victory came at Mississippi State: 65-41 on Dec. 12, 1981.
Until Friday, Tennessee-Martin Coach Anthony Stewart had been pleased with how his season began.
"We are progressing well," he said earlier in the week. "We're getting better every game. We see growth in all areas, especially our defense. We worked on some things and went in a game and got in done. I'm really pleased on both sides of the ball."
A 13-2 advantage in made free throws helped give Kentucky a 53-38 halftime lead.
Tennessee-Martin committed 14 fouls in the first half, which in a way reflected how the Skyhawks did not fear UK.
Tennessee-Martin was able to keep pace with Kentucky's vaunted speed. The teams were even in fast-break points in the first half with six each.
More than once, Kentucky's transition defense did not get back and set up in time to prevent a Skyhawks score.
This was never more apparent than midway through the first half when Bam Adebayo dunked on the fast break. Public address announcer Patrick Whitmer was still giving his full-throated BAM!!! call when Tennessee-Martin's Kedar Edwards was dunking at the other end six seconds later.
Tennessee-Martin stayed within single digits of Kentucky through the game's first 14 minutes. UK missed five of its first six three-point shots against UTM's sagging defense. At one point, UK Coach John Calipari used a lineup of four shooters _ Fox, Monk, Mychal Mulder and Derek Willis _ with Adebayo.
That combination did not stay on the court long. But eventually, Kentucky found the range. In one stretch, UK made 12 of 18 shots in expanding its lead to 47-29.
Tennessee-Martin's 38 points were the most scored in a first half against Kentucky so far this season (Cleveland State and Canisius scored 35).
With UTM playing its sixth game in a 14-day span, the second half figured to be a war of attrition. Depth was on UK's side. So was Tennessee-Martin committing its seventh foul before the first television timeout.
Back-to-back breakaway dunks by Monk increased Kentucky's lead to 73-44 and prompted a Skyhawks timeout with 14:13 left.
Kentucky reached the century mark _ with 8:14 left _ in telling fashion. It was an all-freshman collaboration as Sacha Killeya-Jones laid in the shot that gave UK a 101-54 lead. A pass from Fox set up Killeya-Jones. Fox re-directed a pass from Gabriel, who could have gotten credit for a hockey assist on the play.
