Kentucky vs. Auburn score, takeaways: No. 2 Tigers rally past No. 12 Wildcats in pivotal SEC showdown

The second-ranked Tigers made a strong case for No. 1 with its best win of the season on Saturday

No. 2 Auburn will have an improved case to be No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time in program history come Monday after the Tigers rallied from an early 10-point deficit to knock off No. 12 Kentucky 80-71 on Saturday at Auburn Arena. The victory is the 15th in a row for Auburn (18-1, 7-0 SEC), which got a game-high 19 points from Walker Kessler in front of a raucous home crowd.

Kessler's dunk off a Jabari Smith feed with 1:28 left put the Tigers ahead 74-66 and helped stifle a persistent Kentucky squad that fell to 15-4 (5-2) with the loss. The Wildcats lost star freshman guard TyTy Washington for the game due to an ankle injury in the first half, and were without starting point guard Sahvir Wheeler for parts of the second half after he took two hard falls. But despite the attrition, UK drew within four at the 3:20 mark following a Kellan Grady 3-pointer.

The next points came from Smith, Auburn's star freshman, who drilled a contested fadeaway at the 2:28 mark to put the Tigers back up six. Smith and Kessler repeatedly made pivotal plays throughout the afternoon. Another play from Smith that stuck out was his block of UK big man Oscar Tshiebwe layup attempt at the 4:55 mark that would have brought the Wildcats within six points. He finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Kentucky pulled ahead 19-9 early in the game as the Wildcats kept Auburn out of sync by using a 15-5 edge in points off turnovers to take a 33-29 lead into halftime. But a pair of Kessler dunks in the final minute before the half helped give Auburn the momentum. From there, scoring bursts from K.D. Johnson and Wendell Green Jr. in the second half, combined with the play of Smith and Kessler, helped Auburn pull away.

Key contributions

Smith and Kessler will get a lot of attention for their performances down the stretch, and rightfully so. The duo is one of the most lethal frontcourt tandems in the country. But the unsung heroes of the win for Auburn were Johnson and Green, both of whom sparked runs in the second half after combining for just three points in the first half.

Johnson scored five straight points early in the second half to tie the game for the first time since the 18:03 mark of the first half. He later followed up with a personal 6-0 run that included a 3-pointer and three free throws after he was fouled on a 3-point attempt. That spurt turned a 58-52 lead into a 64-52 lead, Auburn's largest of the game, with 6:07 left.

Green hit two 3-pointers in a 25-second span between the 11 and 12-minute marks to break up a Kentucky run as the duo totaled 25 of Auburn's 51 second-half points. Green also had this sweet assist to Kessler among his five dimes for the game.

The SEC is Auburn's to lose

With the win and Texas A&M's loss at Arkansas on Saturday night, Auburn now has at least a two-game lead on everyone in the SEC. The league is the Tigers' to lose, and the cushion should only grow with a game against lowly Missouri up next on Tuesday.

The Tigers shared the SEC title with Tennessee in 2018 but haven't claimed a solo conference crown since 1999. It would be merely the latest example of the program's overachievement under Pearl after Auburn was picked to finish fifth in the league's preseason poll.

As Pearl told CBS Sports' Gary Parrish after the game, "we're a football school, but we're also an everything school."

Kentucky plagued by 'what if?' scenarios

UK's only two league losses came on the road in games tainted by injuries to key players, leaving Kentucky fans to wonder what could have been if their key guards had stayed healthy. Wheeler was knocked out of the Wildcats' 65-60 loss at LSU just four minutes into the game after running into a hard screen.

Then, on Saturday, Washington landed awkwardly and appeared to twist his ankle after a shot attempt at the 8:20 mark. He needed help to leave the floor before walking to the locker room under his own power. However, he did not return. Compounding the issue was the fact that Wheeler missed a key three-minute stretch in the second half after running into yet another screen.

When he exited at the 11:28 mark, UK trailed just 51-47. When he returned with 8:41 left, the Wildcats were down 58-48. With no other scheduled meetings between UK and Auburn, it's a shame for the Wildcats that they won't get another crack at Auburn when fully healthy.

[Jan 22, 2022 at 3:21 pm ET · David Cobb]

That's 15 in a row for Auburn

There will be a "what if" element to this game considering the injury to TyTy Washington and the key time missed by Sahvir Wheeler in the second half due to a couple of hard falls. But still, an impressive and validating win for Auburn, which SHOULD be No. 1 in the polls on Monday. Kessler, Smith, Johnson and Green were all huge in the second half.

[Jan 22, 2022 at 3:05 pm ET · David Cobb]

Auburn in good shape

The Tigers are up 8 with just over a minute to play after Wheeler takes yet another hard fall. Nothing malicious there, but Wheeler is just beat up.

[Jan 22, 2022 at 3:02 pm ET · David Cobb]

Down to the wire

Kentucky has refused to quit, but Jabari Smith's fadeaway mid-range jumper with 2:27 left puts the Tigers back ahead six. Such a nice shot with a high degree of difficulty late in the shot clock. Game-changer.

[Jan 22, 2022 at 2:53 pm ET · David Cobb]

Big block

Jabari Smith's block of Oscar Tshiebwe sticks out to me as a huge play. A make would've brought UK within six, but Smith rose to meet him at the rim and kept Auburn three possessions ahead. 68-58 Tigers at the u4 timeout. Wildcats just 3 of 9 from beyond the arc in this game but will need some momentum-changing shooting to rally.

[Jan 22, 2022 at 2:43 pm ET · David Cobb]

Kentucky on the ropes

Wildcats are in deep trouble here, but Wheeler is back in which is good to see after his hard fall on the Kessler screen a few minutes ago. Toppin is on the bench with four fouls for the Wildcats. It's 58-50 Auburn at the u8 timeout.

[Jan 22, 2022 at 2:37 pm ET · David Cobb]

Makeshift lineup

So, it's Mintz, Allen, Grady, Brooks and Tshiebwe on the floor for UK with Wheeler in the locker room and Washington out due to the ankle injury. Tough to see the Wildcats rallying from a 7-point deficit in THIS environment under THOSE circumstances.

[Jan 22, 2022 at 2:31 pm ET · David Cobb]

Hello, Wendell

Wendell Green, quiet until now, has exploded onto the scene with a pair of 3-pointers to make it 51-47 Auburn at the u12 media timeout. Sahvir Wheeler is down again fo UK after running into a screen. Rough scene, because that's exactly what happened to him at LSU earlier this month, and the ensuing effects of a neck injury forced him to miss a couple of games. Tough to see it happen again. Would be especially bad for UK if he has to leave the game since the 'Cats are already without TyTy Washington.

[Jan 22, 2022 at 2:24 pm ET · David Cobb]

All Auburn

The Tigers are outscoring Kentucky 16-7 so far in the half, and a Devon Cambridge dunk at the 13:58 mark forces a Calipari timeout. UK isn't getting good looks anymore, and Walker Kessler is keeping them from attacking the basket or getting anything easy on the inside. Who can go get this team a bucket in a half court set? UK will need a heavy dose of Kellan Grady if its going to win this game.

[Jan 22, 2022 at 2:16 pm ET · David Cobb]

Tigers tie it up

Kellan Grady is so lethal when he gets his feet set. His 3-pointer momentarily calms what feels like a big shift of momentum in Auburn's favor as the Tigers are getting rolling. K.D. Johnson scores five straight for Auburn to make it 38-38 at the u16 timeout. UK struggling offensively without TyTy Washington out there.

[Jan 22, 2022 at 2:08 pm ET · David Cobb]

Kessler vs. Tshiebwe

Big O had 6 points and 8 boards for Kentucky in the first half, but Walker Kessler was up to the challenge in the paint. Great battle down there between two dominant but very different post players. Kessler is a rim protector extraordinaire, while Tshiebwe is a rebounding menace.

[Jan 22, 2022 at 1:59 pm ET · David Cobb]

TyTy Washington out for game

Bad news for Kentucky. The freshman guard left the game at the 8:20 mark of the first half after appearing to twist his left ankle while landing after a shot attempt. Without him.