History was made for the top-ranked Auburn Tigers on Saturday as it cruised to a 94-78 win over No. 17 Kentucky for their first win at Rupp Arena since 1988 while clinching a share of the regular-season SEC championship, the Tigers fifth in program history and third since 2018.
“I’m so happy for the kids. We played like champions. We truly did. The guys have been so locked in all year. The league is so good,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl postgame. “Before the game, one thing I said to the team is ‘It's gonna be hard in here.’ They said, ‘Yeah, it's gonna be hard.’ And you know, not that nothing was gonna come easy, so we knew that.”
Auburn had a trio of scorers go for more than 20 points for the first time since February 2020 as Miles Kelly headlined the Tigers’ scoring efforts, going for a season-high 30 points and converting on nine 3-pointers.
“In the shootaround, we were shooting and I just fell in love with the rims,” Kelly said. “Everything I was putting up at shootaround was going in so I knew in the game I just had to take my time and knock shots down. I knew I would get some looks early, and I just went up there and knocked them down. My teammates did a great job of finding me and I gave the rest to God and he followed through.”
Chad Baker-Mazara and Tahaad Pettiford were the Tigers other two 20-point scorers with 22 and 21, respectively. Pettiford rose to the occasion on the big stage yet again as he played every minute of the second half and did not commit a turnover in Denver Jones’ absence – after eight minutes of action he was held out with an apparent ankle injury that Pearl said was a “bone bruise” after reviewing the x-ray.
“To play the entire game and have (Lamont) Butler guarding him and not have a turnover is incredible,” Pearl said of Pettiford.
Meanwhile, Auburn’s star big man and national player of the year candidate recorded his first game in double-digits since exiting with six points against South Carolina on Jan. 1, though he left that one due to injury.
“To do it without Denevr Jones. With Dylan Cardwell in enormous foul trouble and Johni – first game in a long time he’s not in double figures. Incredible,” Pearl said.
The Tigers held the lead for 39:21 of the game and held the third-best scoring offense in the nation to 78 points on their home floor, one where they average 91.2 points per game at. Kentucky entered the game 26th nationally with 9.9 3-pointers per game and 27th nationally, shooting a 37.6% clip from deep.
Auburn held the Wildcats to just four threes on 17 attempts and forced them into season-high 18 turnovers – six coming on the Wildcats first six possessions of the second half in which they did not get a shot attempt off during the span. Additionally, the Tigers scored 21 points off turnovers.
“Just run them off the line,” Pettiford said of the key to Auburn’s defensive success. “We know that they have a great shooter in Koby Brea, so just getting him off the line and not letting him get the touches that he needed to get hot. Then, Otega (Oweh), just stopping him from doing what he does best, getting downhill. And just trying to take away their game slowly and then making them play a half-court game that we want them to play.”
The Tigers can clinch the SEC regular-season title outright on Tuesday with a win against Texas A&M in College Station. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CTS and will be broadcasted on ESPN.
“We’ve got to just continue to find ways to get better. Enjoy it. I promise you, we won't let the success get to us. We don't have the championship on our own yet. And so there's more work to be done.”
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.
Logan Fowler is a Senior from Sumiton, Alabama and is majoring in journalism. He joined the Plainsman in Spring 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @loganffowler
