Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s win at No. 13 Auburn
Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 70-59 win at the Auburn Tigers on Saturday at Neville Arena:
1. You knew Kentucky had it all along, right?
You knew Kentucky was going to win, right?
Never mind that Auburn was 13-0 at home. Never mind that Auburn had drummed its six visiting SEC foes by an average of 22.3 points per triumph. Never mind that Bruce Pearl’s team was coming off a total dismantling of No. 11-ranked South Carolina, 101-61, on Thursday, that it was the only team ranked in the KenPom’s top 10 in both offense and defensive efficiency, or that “College GameDay” was on campus for the expected celebration.
“Nobody believed in us,” Kentucky center Ugonna Onyenso said afterward.
Except Kentucky. Turned out, the Wildcats believed in the Wildcats. Inside the four rooms of the locker room, the Cats decided that despite the seven overall losses, and the four home losses and the fact that everyone and his brother was picking Auburn to win, John Calipari’s club was going to lock down and play aggressive and physical and with poise. And that’s exactly what the Cats did.
Kentucky built a 39-29 lead at halftime, survived a rare turnover spree of its own early in the second half, then made the shots and plays it needed to make down the stretch to hand Auburn its first home loss of the campaign.
There were stars in blue all around. Antonio Reeves scored 22 points. Onyenso grabbed 11 rebounds. Adou Thiero snatched eight off the glass. Rob Dillingham scored 11 points in the first half. D.J. Wagner was a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line. Reed Sheppard came up with five steals. Again.
“Kentucky outplayed us,” Pearl said afterward, leaning back in his chair as he addressed reporters as if what else was there to say really.
Yes, Kentucky’s win over North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic was a big win. This was a bigger win, however, and not just because it was unexpected. Given the circumstances, it was Kentucky’s biggest of the season.
2. What do you know, Kentucky can guard
You knew that Auburn wasn’t going to make every shot as the Tigers did in their romp over South Carolina on Wednesday. Auburn shot a scorching 61% from the floor that night. But you didn’t think Auburn would miss every shot. And the Tigers did nearly that Saturday, shooting a meager 30.9% from the floor, including just 4-for-22 from 3-point range.
“Give Kentucky credit,” Pearl said when asked if the Tigers just failed to knock down good looks. “Did we miss open shots? Yes. But we missed hard shots, too. Kentucky disrupted us.”
Pearl also said this: “Kentucky can guard.”
Seriously? Really? Kentucky? Truth be told, we had not seen a whole lot evidence of a Kentucky defense to this point. Before Saturday, the Cats were ranked 104th in adjusted defensive efficiency. They had given up 97 points (in overtime) to Texas A&M, 96 to Georgia, 94 (in overtime) to Florida, 103 to Tennessee, 89 to Gonzaga.
“We knew had to lock in and play defense,” Reeves said on Saturday.
And the Cats showed they could actually do that. Against South Carolina, Auburn’s duo of the 6-foot-10 Johni Broome and the 6-9 Jaylin Williams had gone 9-for-12 from 3-point land. Broome was 4-for-5; Williams 5-for-7. Saturday, Broome missed all three of his 3-point attempts. Williams was 0-for-2 before leaving the game with 10:40 remaining because of an apparent knee injury.
“If Kentucky plays defense like that,” Pearl said, “they can beat anybody.”
3. The next step is for Kentucky to build on this
It was the swaggy John Calipari who entered the broom closet-sized Auburn media room after the victory. He feigned disbelief at the size of the crowd packed into the room, hinting that the expectation that his Cats would get rocked on the road had brought out his critics to enjoy the show.
“Attack me. Say I’m the worst coach, I don’t care,” Calipari said. “Just don’t attack my kids.”
Truth be told, the Cats had earned the right to crow a little. Starting with that 79-62 loss at South Carolina on Jan. 23, they had come out of a stretch in which they lost four out of six games — including three straight at home for the first time in Rupp Arena history — and put together back-to-back wins over Ole Miss and Auburn.
The season is far from over, however. Wednesday night, Kentucky visits LSU, who upset South Carolina in Columbia on Saturday. Leader Alabama, now 10-2 in SEC play, visits Rupp Arena on Saturday. A tricky road trip to Mississippi State on Feb. 27 awaits after that. Then comes — you got it — March.
Still, Saturday’s win had to be a booster shot for a young team that surely experienced a wane in confidence over the past couple of weeks. To come into possibly the most hostile arena in the SEC, against a team on a roll, and lead from start to finish is not just a major accomplishment. It’s something this team needs to build on.
