Non-freshmen help Kentucky edge Maryland

• Junior guard Jarrod Polson scored 10 points and made the clinching free throws with 7.7 seconds left as the third-ranked Wildcats held off Maryland
• Kyle Wiltjer, a sophomore, led Kentucky with 19 points in the second game of the Barclays Center Classic
• Seven-foot-1 sophomore Alex Len led Maryland with 23 points and 12 rebounds

NEW YORK — John Calipari called preseason voters "goofballs" for ranking his young University of Kentucky basketball team third in the country to start. The Wildcats wasted no time confirming their coach's doubts. Despite unusual size, UK was crushed on the boards and narrowly survived Maryland with a 72-69 win in Friday night's season opener for both sides.

The Terrapins roared back from a 13-point halftime deficit despite shooting just 33 percent from the field. They did it in part because of a 54-38 rebounding edge, including 28 offensive boards. The last one nearly cost the Wildcats when Maryland 7-footer Alex Len grabbed his own missed free throw and put it back in to slice UK's lead to a point with 8.9 seconds left.

But salvation for the Wildcats came from an unexpected place: former walk-on point guard Jarrod Polson. In a surprise turn, he played 22 minutes and scored six of his 10 points in the game's final five minutes. Polson sank the clinching free throws with 7.7 seconds left. It didn't figure to be so tough a start.

Despite shooting just 33 percent from the field, Maryland was in position to deliver an upset thanks to a 54-38 rebounding edge, including 28 offensive boards. The last one nearly cost the Cats when Maryland 7-footer Alex Len grabbed his own missed free throw and put it back in to slice UK's lead to a point with 8.9 seconds left.

But Polson, who in a surprise turn contributed 22 minutes, calmly finished the job. The junior had played just 62 total minutes and scored seven points in his career but finished with 10 points, three assists, two rebounds, a steal and no turnovers Friday.

"He was ready for his opportunity, and as a coach there's nothing that makes me happier," Calipari said. "The whole team was hugging him in there."

It didn't figure to be so tough a start.

When Nerlens Noel caught and slammed a lob from Archie Goodwin early in the second half, the Cats led 53-38 and appeared to be pulling away. Then a 15-0 Maryland run followed, and soon after, Terps guard Seth Allen sank a pair of 3-pointers in a row. To the delight of a surprisingly pro-Maryland crowd at the new billion-dollar Barclays Center, the underdogs led 59-57 with 8:17 remaining.

Sophomore Kyle Wiltjer, who led Kentucky with 19 points, stemmed the tide with one of his four 3-pointers. But it wasn't him or freshman guard Goodwin, who slashed his way to 16 points, who came up with the most clutch plays. It wasn't Noel, the prized freshman who was held to four points and seven rebounds.

It was Polson, who put back a Noel miss to give UK a 64-63 lead with five minutes to go, then rebounded a missed Noel free throw and scored again to make it 67-63. And the final free throws.

How much did Polson figure into Maryland's scouting report on the Cats?

"Uh, zero," Terps coach Mark Turgeon said. "Absolutely zero went into thinking before the game. He subbed into the table and I said, 'Who's that?' … He was the whole key to the game. Kid gave them confidence."

Kentucky will need plenty of that heading into their next game. Duke awaits in Atlanta next week. The Cats will work on rebounding between now and then, but will take encouragement from swatting 11 shots and shooting 58 percent in the first half Friday.

"They're going to be fine," Calipari said. "What they were was manhandled a little bit today. … We're not ready to play 40 minutes of basketball. We're just not ready. … We're behind, but we should be. We've got all new players."