James Madison had never set foot in Rupp Arena until Friday night.
The Dukes and their coach, former Kentucky staff member Preston Spradlin, weren't intimidated as the No. 23 Wildcats earned a hard-fought 89-80 win to remain perfect.
James Madison, the Wildcats' second first-time opponent this season, eventually succumbed to Kentucky in the second half after forcing 18 lead changes and five ties.
"We knew coming in it was going to be an incredible challenge for us because they play so differently," Kentucky coach Mark Pope said. "They ended up winning the matchup game where we had to go small and play a way we haven't played yet this season and that's a real credit to them. I thought they were terrific."
In his best outing for the Kentucky, Zoom Diallo finished with 16 points. Diallo tallied 10 points in the first half, including six during a 9-0 run. Diallo connected on a three-point play, had a steal and made a 3-pointer in one sequence.
Diallo scored six of Kentucky's first nine points in the second half and provided stability for the Wildcats, who used a 15-3 run that produced the final lead change, turning a 56-54 deficit into a 69-59 advantage.
"I thought he was really controlled and I thought he was really disciplined," Pope said. "He was a zero-turnover night, which is a huge thing for him, and he was really forceful downhill."
Spradlin agreed.
Diallo scored six of Kentucky's first nine points in the second half and provided stability for the Wildcats, who used a 15-3 run that produced the final lead change, turning a 56-54 deficit into a 69-59 advantage.
"I thought he was really controlled and I thought he was really disciplined," Pope said. "He was a zero-turnover night, which is a huge thing for him, and he was really forceful downhill."
Spradlin agreed.
"He's a big-time downhill driver," he said. "He's got great size and physicality and there's just not a lot of teams that have that size at the guard spot who can get downhill and punch the paint."
Overall, Kentucky placed five players in double figures. Alex Wilkins tied Diallo for team-high honors with 16 points.
One of Spradlin's former players, Justin McBride, contributed to the Wildcats' success with 13 points off the bench. McBride made three of Kentucky's 10 3-pointers.
"It was a good win," McBride said. " ... It was definitely filled with emotions and you have to keep winning. My whole team has no hard feelings (toward James Madison) and I'm glad we got the win."
Mason Williams added 12 points and five assists and Brayden Hawthorne scored 10 for the Wildcats, who got 39 from their reserves.
"We're going to need everybody on the bench from one to the last roster spot — we're going to need everybody," Diallo said. "My job is trying to boost confidence into my teammates."
In his first appearance since last March, Kam Williams returned from a foot injury and finished with two points. Williams added a rebound and an assist in nine minutes.
"It was really great to get Kam back in for a few minutes," Pope said. "We were just reading the game to see how it worked out, and this was a nice game to push him in for two reasons. One, because matchups required that of our rotation, and two, because it was a really competitive game. He got to walk in and play minutes that really mattered."
NEXT GAME: Kentucky vs. No. 17 Kansas, 8:30 p.m., Tuesday. TV/Radio: ESPN, UK Radio Network.
Zoom Diallo drives to the basket in the first half against James Madison. He scored 16 to lead Kentucky to an 89-80 victory. (Photo by Les Nicholson).
