The Auburn Tigers have had a historic season already, and we just got into March. With Auburn’s total dismantling of the Kentucky Wildcats today at Rupp Arena, that ended a 39-year drought with a 94-78 win. This win not only marked Auburn’s first win in Lexington since 1988 but also clinched them a share of the SEC regular-season championship for the 2024-25 season.
“I’m so happy for the kids. We played like champions,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “The guys have been so locked in. The league is so good. Our guards were incredible. To win the SEC in Rupp Arena is historic, it’s significant.”
Miles Kelly made nine three-pointers and led Auburn with 30 points. Hours later when No. 5 Tennessee beat No. 6 Alabama, the Tigers claimed the crown outright with two games to play.
“These are the moments why I came to Auburn,” said Kelly, who was 9 of 14 from 3-point range. ”I’m super grateful. We give all glory to God.”
Kelly hit his first 3-pointer 12 seconds into the game, making four in the first half, including two banked 3s, to give Auburn a double-digit lead after five and half minutes.
“At shootaround, I fell in love with the rims,” Kelly said. “Everything I was putting up at shootaround was going in. I knew I would get some looks early and I knocked them down. My teammates did a great job of finding me.”
Tahaad Pettiford scored 21 points and had four assists with zero turnovers, playing a career-high 33 minutes with Denver Jones playing only eight minutes after a first-half ankle injury.
“Playing like the best freshman guard in the country,” Pearl said. “He doesn’t have a turnover against (Lamont) Butler, who’s one of the better defenders in the league.”
“It’s amazing, being a freshman, I’ve never experienced it. That’s why I came here, to win,” Pettiford said. “We’re a really special team. When the time came, I was ready. We’re all happy but we know we have business to handle when we get back to the Plains. Enjoy our time today but get back in the gym tomorrow.”
Auburn forced 18 turnovers and held the Wildcats to four 3-pointers on 17 attempts. The Tigers made 12 3-pointers in 26 attempts and trailed for only 19 seconds.
“Run them off the line,” Pettiford said of Auburn’s defensive gameplan. “Make them play at a halfcourt game that we want them to play.”
Chad Baker-Mazara, who scored 16 of his 22 points in the first half, accounted for Auburn’s last seven points to give the Tigers a 49-34 halftime lead.
Auburn claimed its largest lead – 22 points – on Chris Moore’s 3-pointer early in the second half and led by at least 14 points over the final 10 minutes to snap a 20-game losing streak at Rupp Arena.
“That was a driving force, on top of that we could be regular season champs,” Kelly said of the opportunity to earn Auburn’s third win in Lexington in 54 tries. “We knew we had to stick to the scouting report and that’s what we did.”
“Five different teams in the past eight years have been champions,” said Pearl, noting Auburn’s regular season titles in 2018, 2022 and 2025, and the Tigers’ SEC Tournament championships in 2019 and 2024. “This should put some wind in our sails. We’ve got to continue to find ways to get better. I promise you we won’t let success get to us. There’s more work to be done.”
Seeking their seventh consecutive victory, the top-ranked Tigers (27-2, 15-1) remain on the road, playing at Texas A&M Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN and the Auburn Sports Network.
Auburn’s High Stakes: Living Up to March Madness Hype
The Tigers are an obvious choice for the #1 overall seed, they have dangerous playmakers. They are top five in scoring, #1 in blocked shots, and also in the top 5 for least turnovers per game. Along with their high scoring, the Tigers make great decisions with the ball and don’t seem to make careless plays. Johni Broome is one of the best College players in the country and averages a double-double with 18.8 PPG and 11.0 rebounds.
Miles Kelly, Denver Jones, and Chad Baker-Mazara can shoot the lights out from three-point range. If the Tigers can show that they are engaged on the defensive end, they will be a difficult team to beat going forward. The Tigers only have two losses on the year, both to top 10 teams in Duke and Florida.
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