LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Ramel Bradley had a career-high 21 points and No. 22 Kentucky started with a 15-0 run in defeating Mississippi Valley State 79-56 Friday in Tubby Smith’s 500th game as a college coach.
Bradley, who has been working on his shot selection as Kentucky’s new point guard, picked good ones against the Delta Devils. He made 8 of 11 attempts from the field and 5 of 7 from 3-point range.
Randolph Morris had 18 points and nine rebounds.
Smith, now in his 16th year as a head coach and 10th at Kentucky, improved his record to 367-133. He has coached 314 games at Kentucky, 122 at Tulsa and 64 at Georgia.
In their final tuneup before heading to the Maui Invitational, the Wildcats (2-0) signaled they’re ready for stiffer competition. They’ll get it in Hawaii with a first-round matchup Monday against DePaul and possibly a second-round game Tuesday against national runner-up UCLA.
The Delta Devils (0-3) didn’t score until Larry Cox made a layup four and a half minutes into the game. In the first 12 minutes, Kentucky added an 11-0 run to their beginning burst.
Mississippi Valley State had only five points with eight minutes remaining in the first half and Kentucky used eight steals and 14 fast break points to build a 41-18 halftime lead.
Bradley ignited the early rally and began both halves with a 3-pointer. In one 20-second span, Bradley made a jumper then grabbed a loose ball, using an underhanded flip from beneath the basket to score again.
Bradley fed freshman forward Perry Stevenson one of his two first-half dunks.
Stevenson, who had seven blocks in the Wildcats’ opener Wednesday against Miami of Ohio, had three Friday in his second straight start. He set the defensive tone by swatting away the Delta Devils’ first shot – a 3-point attempt by Carl Lucas.
Another freshman, guard Jodie Meeks, had 13 points for Kentucky, but was cold from 3-point range, hitting only 1 of 6 attempts.
Other than Bradley, the Wildcats made only 3 of 18 shots from beyond the arc.
The game marked a return to action for Kentucky senior forward Sheray Thomas, who was suspended for the opener and two exhibition games for an undisclosed rules violation. Thomas had one point off the bench.
Cox led the Delta Devils with 17 points.
