You build it, and they will come. And Bruce Pearl has built it.
Auburn Arena was packed with fans, students and newfound members of “Jungle City,” as Pearl has named it, to watch No. 2 Auburn defeat No. 12 Kentucky 80-71 Saturday.
Auburn has now won 15 straight games, tied for the third-longest streak in school history. With this win, Auburn has also beaten Kentucky in three straight games at home for the first time since the mid-'70s.
Even with all the hype and deranged sleepless fans, Auburn’s first half was bad.
“I don’t think there is any question that that game and that environment didn’t live up to expectations,” Pearl said.
The Wildcats went into halftime with 15 points off of Auburn’s eight turnovers. While the score was only 31-29 in favor of Kentucky, Auburn could not buy a solid offensive possession. It felt like the students had waited dozens of hours in the cold for nothing.
“If we would have lost this game, I would have felt so bad because they froze their asses off last night," Pearl said.
Sahvir Wheeler led the Kentucky charge in the first half with eight points, while center Oscar Tshiebwe was wreaking his usual havoc down low, pulling down eight boards.
To the fans, the game was looking bad. To the players, it was business as usual.
“It don’t phase us when we get down,” said K.D. Johnson. “We don’t get rattled.”
The Tigers' deficit didn't worry Walker Kessler, either.
“We have been down before,” Kessler said. “Just like any game, we can come back and rise to the occasion.”
But it wasn’t a play or a series that was the story of the first half, it was the departure of Kentucky guard TyTy Washington.
With under 11 minutes to play, Washington went down hard and immediately grabbed at his lower leg. He was helped off with a lower leg injury and wouldn’t return to the game.
When Auburn faced off against Kentucky in the second half, without the help of Washington, it was as if Auburn was facing a whole new team.
The Tigers outrebounded the best rebounding team in the nation, put up 51 points and turned the ball over half as many times as they did in the first half.
“The game plan was, we all got to box out. As a team, we did a really good job of that,” Kessler said. “It was a lot of fun down there."
Kessler and Tshiebwe went head to head down low in a marquee matchup of the nation’s best rebounder in Tshiebwe versus the nation’s best-blocking center in Kessler.
Kessler outscored Tshiebwe 19 to 16, while Tshiebwe outrebounded Kessler 14 to 7. Kessler’s game-leading point total proved to be the more important number, however, helping pave the way for what was arguably Auburn Arena’s most important win ever.
"I love Auburn, K.D. [Johnson] loves Auburn, we all love Auburn,” Kessler said. “You feel a lot of pride playing for a program like this and playing for a school like this."
Sixteen of Kessler’s 19 points came from dunks, almost all of which were uncontested. The usual Wendell Green Jr. lob to Kessler was in full display, as Kentucky’s guards frequently tried to double and triple team Jabari Smith and Green, leaving the big man wide open.
“Props to our guards, man," Kessler said. "They are such good facilitators."
As for Auburn’s guards, Johnson put up 17 points, Smith had 14 points and Green had 11 points.
When crunch time came late, and Auburn was surrendering its lead, it was Smith who stepped up on both ends of the court. Smith played arguably the best defensive game of his Auburn career, with two blocks, a steal and seven defensive rebounds.
Pearl said when the game got late, he knew Smith knew what to do.
“It was time for No. 10 to step up and make a couple big shots and make some big plays,” Pearl said. “When it gets to nut-cutting time, he ain't afraid."
At the end of the day, there was very little celebrating once Auburn players hit the locker room postgame. Missouri is next on the schedule.
"We did what we were supposed to do. We didn't win a championship; we aren't cutting down nets,” Pearl said. “We beat a really good team. Now, we got work to do."
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.
Henry Zimmer is from Jacksonville, Florida, and is currently in his fifth year with The Plainsman. He is currently the Assistant Sports Editor and can be followed on Twitter here: @henryzimmer
