Bruce Pearl could not have drawn up a more successful start to this season. Auburn entered Wednesday’s matchup with Kentucky ranked 10th in the AP Poll and in first place in the SEC, the same league the Wildcats have won in five of the last eight seasons.
Auburn won the last meeting between the two teams in 2016, but that Auburn team finished 13th in the SEC. This Auburn team continued its march to the NCAA Tournament after Jared Harper scored 18 points to lead the Tigers to a 76-66 win over Kentucky.
The win pushes Auburn’s record to 23-3 (11-2 SEC) and hands Kentucky their first four-game losing streak under coach John Calipari.
A 9-0 Auburn run punctuated by an Anfernee McLemore dunk with just under six minutes to play helped the Tigers retake a three-point lead they would never relinquish and got the crowd back in the game.
“I’m not sure there was a better atmosphere in college basketball tonight than in Auburn, Alabama,” Pearl said. “That was as loud as I’ve ever heard the building.”
Bryce Brown returned to the starting lineup after missing Saturday’s game against Georgia and scored 18 points, including a clutch three-pointer with 1:43 left to put the game away. Brown also made major contributions on the defensive end, as the Tigers held Kentucky without a field goal in the game’s final five minutes.
Continue reading below
“My teammates trust me. I’ve always been told to just make plays, coach Pearl preaches that all the time,” Brown said. “If you’re going to be out there you need to make plays both offensively and defensively.”
Auburn came out cold as the Tigers began the game 1-16 from the field. Malik Dunbar finally hit Auburn’s first three-pointer with 11:09 to play in the first half as the Tigers slowly found their shooting touch and led 39-33 at halftime.
Kevin Knox did all he could to keep Kentucky in the game, finishing with 19 points, and the Wildcats’ length in the frontcourt caused serious problems for Auburn. Kentucky outrebounded the Tigers 36-34 and outscored Auburn 36-21 in the paint.
A 7-0 run gave Kentucky a one point lead with 13:00 to play, but the Wildcats simply couldn’t buy a bucket down the stretch as Knox was held without a point the rest of the way.
“Auburn is a terrific team. They fight, they scramble, they come up with [loose] balls,” Calipari said. “And if you give them a chance, they make [shots].”
Continue reading below
Auburn now holds a two-game lead over Tennessee in the SEC standings, but Pearl knows his team needs to be ready to play every night. The Tigers will travel to South Carolina on Saturday.
“This league is so good. You’ve got to bring it every night,” Pearl said. “I said weeks ago, we’re good enough to beat every team on our schedule, and we could lose to any team on our schedule.”
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
