Other than a thriller that came down to the buzzer, what other finish would be necessary for a matchup between the Kentucky Wildcats and Auburn Tigers? It was the first meeting between the two teams when they both were ranked inside the Top-15. The end result lived up to the hype, with the Wildcats edging out the Tigers in a 82-80 nail-biter.
Play between both clubs was rather stagnant to start, especially from Kentucky’s Keldon Johnson over the course of the game’s first seven minutes. One play in particular involved freshman point guard Ashton Hagans having choice words for Johnson following a fast break turnover where Johnson wasn’t fully-engaged.
The freshman wing quickly made his way to the bench and the two teams played on. However, the high-talent wouldn’t stay quiet for long.
Johnson returned to action later in the first half, quickly scoring 11 points and aiding Kentucky to a 35-27 halftime lead.
It was the second half, though, that brought the fireworks.
The Wildcats closed the first half on a 9-0 run and opened the second half on a 10-2 run, giving early indication that they’d run away with the afternoon decision. However, that would be far from reality.
Hot shooting from Auburn’s Bryce Brown and Jared Harper fueled a Tigers comeback, as they eventually took a 79-80 lead with 32 seconds remaining. Tyler Herro, after scoring 13 second half points, quickly came down on the other end to swish two free throws and give his team a two-point lead.
The Tigers missed a potential game-tying lay-up before Immanuel Quickley grabbed the rebound. Quickley split the foul shots, giving Kentucky a 82-80 lead. Auburn missed a half-court heave as time expired, granting Kentucky the win.
John Calipari’s team earns their 14th win of the season in arguably their best performance. Herro and Johnson each scored 20 points a piece, while Reid Travis turned in his best game in quite some time. 17 points and seven rebounds from Travis complimented 13 points and seven boards from Washington. The two forwards heavily impacted the painted area on Saturday, a mentality Kentucky will need moving forward.
Ashton Hagans saw his six-game streak with three or more steals come to an end, but he did finish the game with an efficient six points, seven rebounds and six assists. Kentucky’s bench, though, was not as efficient. Quickley scored five and Nick Richards made a free throw to accommodate for the reserve efforts.
One particular area that Kentucky excelled in on Saturday was the painted area. The Wildcats began the year as one of the more dominant paint teams the country had to present. As their slate unfolded, though, that production took a dip. Saturday’s contest saw that paint dominance re-surface, with Kentucky owning the edge in both rebounding (33-26) and points scored in the paint (38-24).
After back-to-back road games, Kentucky will enjoy a two-game home stand against Mississippi State and Kansas. However, despite Saturday’s signature win, the competition will certainly be a test.
The Wildcats will need much more from their bench core of EJ Montgomery Jemarl Baker, Quickley and Richards. While their efforts on defense were significant, Kentucky most likely won’t be able to rely on such an offensively-efficient game from four of their starters.
Up first will be the Mississippi State Bulldogs, with tip-off scheduled for Tuesday evening at 7 P.M. EDT. On-air coverage will be presented by 106.5 WKDZ radio.