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LEXINGTON, Ky. — On a night when the University of Kentucky honored its basketball past, Patrick Patterson offered a glimpse into the future.

The freshman forward had 17 points and seven rebounds tonight as the Wildcats topped Seattle 82-63 in their final exhibition game of the season in Rupp Arena.

At halftime UK recognized members of its 1958 NCAA championship team — and players from the Seattle team it defeated in the title game — but Patterson stole the show and electrified the crowd with a string of highlight-reel plays.

In one seven-second sequence, the 6-foot-9 freshman displayed the explosiveness that made him one of the nation's most coveted high school power forwards.

With 15:38 to play in the second half, Patterson caught a lob pass from guard Jodie Meeks and threw down a two-handed dunk, drawing a foul. He made the free throw to complete a three-point play.

That drew a long ovation from the crowd of 20,096. It wouldn't be the last Patterson would incite.

On Seattle's ensuing possession, he swatted away a driving layup attempt. As the crowd roared, he repeatedly raised his hands above his head, signaling the fans to continue their frenzy.

Patterson had quieter flashes, too. In the first half he showed a deft jump hook. In the second half he hit a 16-foot jump shot, and he made a crisp pass out of a double-team in the post to an open Michael Porter, who sank a three-pointer.

While Patterson was rugged, the game often was ragged. UK ran hot and cold in its second warmup for the regular season, which will open Tuesday with a game against Central Arkansas in the first round of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic at Rupp.

UK led by 23 points late in the first half and had a 39-24 advantage at halftime, but Ryan Coldren opened the second half with a three-pointer to pull the Redhawks within 12.

UK scored the next nine points to move ahead 48-27, and the game wasn't close thereafter. Patterson's dunk and free throw stretched the lead to 53-30.

Though the game was lopsided most of the way, tempers flared at times.

With 10:20 to play in the game, Seattle guard Chris Gweth fouled Ramel Bradley in an attempt to steal the ball. Bradley pushed Gweth away and was called for a technical foul. Later, UK's Perry Stevenson took offense at a foul underneath by Leigh Swanson, but cooler heads prevailed.

After the Bradley technical, Coldren made both free throws and Austen Powers scored inside on the ensuing possession to cut UK's lead to 19. The Redhawks pulled within 16 with 5:17 to play on five straight points by Coldren, but a three-pointer by Alex Legion stretched the margin to 72-53.

Patterson, who was 6for6 from the floor and 5for5 from the free-throw line, led UK in scoring. Joe Crawford added 14 points. Meeks and Mark Coury each scored 11, with Coury grabbing nine rebounds.

Whereas UK's blowout of Pikeville in the first exhibition was aided by an offensive eruption, the Cats did most of their first-half damage on the defensive end against Seattle. The Redhawks shot 27percent (6of22) and turned the ball over 11 times in the first half.

But UK wasn't exactly sizzling, perhaps in part because of limited minutes from Bradley (seven) and Patterson (eight), who each had two fouls before halftime.

The Cats shot 10of25 in the first half and had eight turnovers, five of them in the game's first four minutes. Their best offensive weapon was the free throw — they hit 17of20 in the half.

Still, there were signs of the kind of hustle coach Billy Gillispie is hoping the Cats will make their trademark.

In one sequence, Bradley hit the floor to grab a deflected ball at one end of the court. He passed to Stevenson, who threw downcourt to a streaking Patterson, whose layup put UK on top 12-6.

Later in the half, Bradley tipped the ball away from a Seattle player in the full-court press, lost the ball back to the Redhawks, then recovered to help apply pressure that led to a 10-second violation against the visitors.

Patterson puts on his own exhibition

[Quality88]

Great Expectations my friends.... the Bluegrass is buzzin.