Tyrese Maxey, Ashton Hagans Shine as White Wins Kentucky Blue-White Game 2019

Kentucky men's basketball debuted its 2019-20 team in the annual Blue-White Game on Friday at Rupp Arena in Lexington.

The White Team beat the Blue Team 81-80 led by 20 points from Nick Richards, who hit a pair of game-winning free throws down the stretch.

Both sides looked great, however, on a night in which many players shined.

Per 247Sports, UK landed the second-best class of 2019, led by 5-stars Tyrese Maxey, Kahlil Whitney and Keion Brooks. Four-stars Johnny Juzang and Dontaie Allen rounded out the group.

But the most impressive Wildcat debut arguably came courtesy of graduate transfer Nate Sestina, who arrived from Patriot League powerhouse Bucknell.

Sestina enjoyed a breakout season in his senior campaign, averaging 15.8 points on 53.6 percent shooting (38.0 percent on three-pointers), 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 27.9 minutes per game.

The 6'9", 234-pound forward picked up where he left off Friday, scoring 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting and hitting four of his eight three-pointers. He showed that he might be the missing veteran piece the Wildcats need to land a championship for the first time since 2012.

Travis Graf of Cats Illustrated was impressed:

It was hard not to be after seeing the him stretch the floor with a deadly three-point shot:

Sestina did damage in the paint too, per Kyle Tucker of The Athletic:

Elsewhere, Maxey and Whitney showed why they were worthy of the hype. Maxey posted 17 points, five assists and five rebounds, while Whitney posted 12 points, eight boards and two steals.

Maxey showcased his clutch ability by nailing this turnaround jumper to end the first half:

Whitney was a problem in the paint thanks to a few dunks, including one courtesy of Maxey:

Tucker called Maxey a "game-changer."

As for Whitney, his game-breaking athleticism—good enough to leap over three people for a dunk—could be a serious problem:

The early votes for UK's most improved player go to Immanuel Quickley, who clearly means business after a freshman year in which he struggled and averaged 5.2 points per game on 37.2 percent shooting. He made quick work of the opposition Friday with 25 points, seven rebounds and six rebounds.

Aaron Torres of Fox Sports reported an inside scoop on Quickley's stellar preseason:

Quickley was a problem inside the arc:

Another sophomore, Ashton Hagans, shone with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting and six assists. Like Quickley, he struggled in his first UK campaign, shooting just 27.5 percent from three-point range. But Hagans hit three of his six treys Friday, including this one from transition:

At game's end, Tucker provided his power ranking of the top-performing players:

The early returns on UK men's hoops this year are positive, and the Wildcats will open the 2019-20 season against Michigan State on Nov. 5 at Madison Square Garden in New York. NBC Sports ranked MSU and UK No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in its preseason poll.