No. 1 Auburn picks up rare win at Rupp Arena against No. 17 Kentucky
For the first time since 1988, No. 1 Auburn went into Rupp Arena and came away victorious with a 94-78 win over No. 17 Kentucky on Saturday.
Prior to Saturday, Auburn was only 2-51 all-time in Lexington. Its 20 consecutive losses since the 1988 win was the program’s longest active road losing streak against an SEC opponent.
The dominant win clinches Auburn (27-2, 15-1 SEC) at least a share of the SEC regular-season title. It is Auburn’s third regular-season conference championship in the last eight seasons under head coach Bruce Pearl.
Aside from an early 4-3 lead for Kentucky, it was all Auburn as the Tigers built up a 19-6 advantage less than six minutes into the game, courtesy of efficient three-point shooting and costly turnovers by the Wildcats.
Senior guard Miles Kelly was a major part of the Tigers’ success in both areas. This steal and subsequent layup from Kelly put Auburn up 7-4 in the early going:
This takeaway from National Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome led to a Kelly three-pointer on the other end to give the Tigers an early 13-point lead:
The Tigers picked up where they left off in the second half with this steal from Broome and a slam by freshman Tahaad Pettiford:
Kelly led the team with a season-high 30 points (10-of-17 FG) while Pettiford added 21 off the bench. Senior Chad Baker-Mazara contributed 22 points (6-of-12 FG) and three steals.
The early second-half turnovers ruined any chance Kentucky had at a comeback. Auburn went almost 10 minutes without allowing a made field goal from the Wildcats, holding Kentucky to 4-of-17 shooting from long-range. Coming into the day, the Wildcats averaged 9.9 threes per game.
Kentucky (19-10, 8-8 SEC) is left searching for answers once again after a sloppy outing on Saturday. The lack of defense and carelessness must be cleaned up if the Wildcats are going to find any rhythm to close out the season.
Auburn, on the other hand, won its sixth game in a row and did so with Broome being held to nine points (3-of-9 FG). With so many players who can take over a game, anything short of a Final Four at this point would be a major disappointment for the Tigers.
