(Sports Network) - The John Calipari era got off to a solid start and his fourth-ranked Kentucky Wildcats now host the Miami-Ohio RedHawks in a non-conference affair at Rupp Arena tonight.

Calipari came to Kentucky to bring glory back to this once dominant program and his debut on Friday was a successful one. The Wildcats topped a solid Morehead State squad, 75-59, to improve to 88-19 all-time in season openers. Kentucky now turns its focus to Miami-OH, a team it has defeated 18 straight times.

Speaking of the RedHawks, they came up short in their season opener on Friday, dropping an 82-71 decision at Towson. With the loss, Miami-OH fell to 15-21 all-time in lidlifters on the road, although the setback wasn't all that surprising considering Charlie Coles' club is rebuilding after losing three starters from last year's 17-win squad.

Miami-OH and Kentucky are meeting for the 24th time, with the Wildcats holding a commanding 20-3 lead in the all-time series. The Wildcats haven't lost to the RedHawks since the 1927-28 season and they are 15-3 when playing in Lexington.

The RedHawks turned the ball over 20 times in their opener and those mishaps led to 26 points for Towson in an 82-71 setback on Friday. Miami also allowed Towson to hit on 52.6 percent of its attempts from the floor, although it didn't do a bad job shooting 48.1 percent itself. Kenny Hayes paced the team in defeat with 17 points and six assists. It was a nice start by Hayes, who averaged 13.9 ppg and 3.8 apg through the first eight games last season before suffering a season-ending wrist injury. Nick Winbush and Adam Fletcher chipped in with 11 points apiece and they combined for 12 rebounds in the losing effort.

Eric Bledsoe's debut in a Kentucky uniform was one to remember, as he poured in 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Wildcats past Morehead State on Friday. Bledsoe, who became the first player since Sam Bowie in 1979 to score 20 or more points in their Kentucky opener, went 7-of-14 from the floor and 9-of-10 at the foul line. Patrick Patterson, the team's top returnee after posting 17.9 ppg and 9.3 rpg in 2008-09, also got off to a good start with a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds. Darnell Dodson, a JC transfer, added 15 points for the Wildcats, who shot 50.0 percent from the floor and dominated the boards, 43-24. Kentucky played the game without highly touted freshman John Wall, as he sat out as part of an NCAA suspension. The 6-4 Wall though, is expected make is debut tonight and he should make an immediate impact.





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