LEXINGTON, Ky. -- John Wall started the onslaught, but in the end of the first half, Patrick Patterson finished it.

If Kentucky is going to win the loaded SEC East with Tennessee and now a resurgent Florida, then Patterson has to be a closer.

Wall was simply sensational in getting the Wildcats going after an early deficit to start the game. He lit up the blue-bursting Rupp Arena crowd with a flush and a reverse, scoop layup in traffic. The Wildcats turned a 9-2 deficit into a 30-11 crushing lead with a 28-2 run.

But this is North Carolina, the same team that just beat Michigan State earlier this week in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. You knew the Heels were going to make another run. They started making 3s, led by Will Graves and Marcus Ginyard, to cut into the lead and went on a 16-10 run to cut the lead to 40-27 with two minutes left. The Tar Heels had a chance to get the game under 10 going into halftime.

Enter Patterson, the top returning forward in the SEC.

Patterson, known more for his inside game, stepped out with good spacing from Kentucky and buried a corner 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 43-28 lead. But it wasn’t just Patterson’s offense. He was even more of a presence inside on the Tar Heels’ next possession, altering multiple shots as John Henson and Tyler Zeller attempted to finish an offensive put-back. Patterson did finish the half with a corner air ball but he already inflicted damage on North Carolina.

The end result was Wall scored 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting, with five assists and four turnovers. Patterson finished with 11 points, made 4 of 7 shots, grabbed five boards, didn’t commit a foul and altered plenty of other shots in the post with a block and a steal, too.

If the Wildcats are going to win the SEC and get to Indianapolis in early April they need the balance of Wall and Patterson to be the stars. So far, in the first half, Kentucky bookended it perfectly with both.