CHICAGO -- As Kentucky's stars screamed profanity-laced declarations during a late timeout Saturday, the team's reserves spilled onto the United Center floor and celebrated with them toward the end of an 80-72 win over No. 9 North Carolina.

The No. 19 Wildcats had just bullied a legit top-10 squad and reset expectations after a rocky start generated concerns about the program's SEC title aspirations and NCAA tournament staying power. But Kentucky has embraced opportunities on the game's grandest stages.

Saturday, amid doubts about their potential, the Wildcats sent a midseason message to the field: We're getting better and, maybe, growing into a national title contender.

Well, that version of the Wildcats, at least.

"We're not the same team we were two weeks ago," head coach John Calipari said. "Not even close. We lost to Seton Hall [two weeks ago], but we got better."

Ashton Hagans (2) and PJ Washington (25) celebrate Kentucky's win over UNC on Saturday. David Banks/USA TODAY Sports

The Tar Heels entered Saturday's game as the newest member of college basketball's fluid "They Can Win It All, Too" category after a 103-90 victory over Gonzaga last week. With Luke Maye, a preseason All-American; Cam Johnson, the reigning ACC player of the week after his 6-for-8 effort from the 3-point line against the Bulldogs; and a fleet of capable contributors, the Tar Heels could win the ACC title and compete for Roy Williams' fourth national crown.

Kentucky entered Saturday's game still surrounded by a stench.

Last month, Kentucky suffered its lowest moment in years and the worst night in Calipari's coaching career during a 34-point loss against Duke in the Champions Classic, 186 miles from the United Center in Indianapolis.

The obituary for the Wildcats of 2018-19 was written that day. Another fancy recruiting class full of five-star prospects had come to Lexington and fallen short of expectations -- after the first game of the season. An overtime loss to Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden earlier this month punctuated the concerns about the team's potential, rooted in the loss to Duke.

"It's amazing, because we had the ball up three with 1:30 to go in New York and somehow gave that game away," Calipari said. "If we had won that game, we wouldn't have all this craziness, but this is Kentucky. Good luck."

That's why Saturday's win mattered for the Wildcats.

The Duke loss showcased the basement for a program that has committed turnovers on one-fifth of its possessions this season and committed 15 against the Blue Devils. But the victory over North Carolina magnified how good Kentucky can be -- and might be -- at its best.

Ashton Hagans (seven steals) was a defensive tyrant, and "in some ways, he was more dominant than anyone," according to Roy Williams.

In the second half, Reid Travis grabbed Sterling Manley's jersey with two fingers and flung him across the lane. The Stanford grad transfer was too strong for North Carolina. He finished with 20 points and six rebounds. PJ Washington hit a significant 3-pointer in the second half and helped the Wildcats keep one of the most dominant rebounding teams in America from accruing second-chance points from offensive boards. Tyler Herro hit big shots, too.

And Keldon Johnson, who led all scorers with 21 points, resembled the aggressive wings -- Malik Monk, Devin Booker -- who have led past Kentucky squads under Calipari.

In a game that had a must-win vibe, Kentucky played its most important basketball to date.

Duke has Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish, RJ Barrett and Tre Jones. Tennessee beat Gonzaga, a sign the Vols could make a run to the Final Four in Minneapolis. Gonzaga, still missing Killian Tillie, is the only team with a win over Duke. Kansas is undefeated. Michigan is possibly more imposing than last year's team that reached the national title game. Nevada has a chance to run the table. Texas Tech, which has the nation's best defense, tussled with Duke in a thriller at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

As the buzz about the best teams in America has intensified, Kentucky has been relatively absent from the dialogue. Saturday changed that. But Saturday's win also was important for Kentucky's résumé. The squad, which started this season ranked in the 60s of the NCAA's new NET rankings, had not scored a signature victory before the win over the Tar Heels.

It seemed Kentucky had momentarily lost its spot among the elite in the 2018-19 season. On Saturday, however, the Wildcats were welcomed back with an impressive performance against a good North Carolina squad.

"I think we came out and were very aggressive and put into play everything we did in practice," Johnson said. "It was a big-time win."