NEW YORK — For one half at least, Kentucky looked like the No. 2 team in the country.

There it was, emerging in the second half, making No. 12 Kansas at times look like a No. 12 seed, trying desperately to keep pace with a team that was simply better at playing the game of basketball.

After a 28-28 tie at halftime, UK ripped off an 11-0 run coming out of it. From there, the lead never fell below double digits in a 75-65 win.

It was how UK can play at its best. When it’s hitting threes, when it’s smothering teams on defense, when it’s making the easy plays on offense, only a handful of teams in the nation stand a chance at winning. UK is simply more talented than everyone else.

“I don’t want to say (this is the best team I’ve had),” UK head coach John Calipari said, “but they have a chance to be special.”

The special part showed up, although it took a half to shake off the blinding glare of the big-city lights.

In the first 20 minutes, Kansas, which started four juniors and a senior, played like a team that has been together for three years. UK, which started three freshmen and two sophomores, played like a team that has been together for three months.

Because those two things are true, UK’s slow start is a legitimate issue. Does it need to get fixed? Certainly. Should it have been already? Probably not, considering it’s the second game of the season.

“Kind of expected what happened in the first half,” Calipari said. “A bunch of young guys out there doing their own thing.”

UK played all sorts of out-of-sorts basketball in the first half. Freshman Marquis Teague threw the ball to Kansas or out of bounds more often than he was throwing it to teammates. He had one point and six turnovers.

“Yeah, he was a little frustrated. He tried to go one-on-one in the first half,” sophomore Doron Lamb said. “But he settled down.”

Freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, usually a spark of efficient energy at the beginning of games, looked visibly nervous on the big stage with plenty of family and friends in attendance.

And then, UK — behind the very same players who looked so distraught in the first half — got comfortable.

Lamb, a New York native, knocked down a couple threes and couldn’t help but smile at doing so in the arena he reveres the most. Every starter scored in double figures.

“I think we made a good statement today,” Lamb said. “We played a top team, that was ranked, and we beat them.”

This game is indicative of how most of the season, especially before tournament time, will look for UK.

Here are three stats from the game: 19 turnovers, 14 assists, 13 blocks. UK alternates between playing fast and foolish and freakishly good. The two halves both existed in equal amounts. Neither’s realism can be discarded.

“We’re not bad,” Calipari said, “but we’re not a good team yet.”

At times, the Cats will look immature and shaky.

But more often than not, UK will just beat people down.