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Kentucky hit the century mark for the first time since 2013 plus boxscore and other game notes

Kentucky hit the century mark for the first time since a 105-76 win vs. UT Arlington on Nov. 19, 2013.

Go here for boxscore.

  • Kentucky is 27-0, 14-0 in the Southeastern Conference. Auburn is 12-15 overall, 4-10 in league play.
  • Kentucky leads the series 90-17, including 45-2 at home.
  • With 27 consecutive victories to begin the season, tied the 1995-96 team for the longest single-season win streak in school history.
    • It's also the longest season-opening streak for a coached team. His 1995-96 Massachusetts team and 2007-08 Memphis team each started 26-0.
    • Calipari tied his longest coaching win streak. The 2008-09 Memphis squad won 27 in a row (not at the opening of a season).
  • Kentucky is 204-27 all-time when ranked No. 1 and has won 49 of the last 51 games as The Associated Press top-ranked team.
  • Calipari has led three schools to a No. 1 ranking (Massachusetts, Memphis, Kentucky) and has a 93-9 record as the top-ranked coach, including 52-4 at UK.
  • Calipari is now 179-37 (.829) as head coach at Kentucky, the best winning percentage of any coach in UK history.
  • Calipari won his 100th game at Rupp Arena and is now 100-4 (.962) in the venue.
  • UK led the entire game and has trailed for only 146:01 of a possible 1,095 minutes this season.
  • Kentucky returns to action Wednesday at Mississippi State. Game time is 7 p.m. EST and it will be televised on the Network.
  • Kentucky officially retired the jersey of , who played at UK during the 1993-96 seasons, during a halftime ceremony.

Team Notes

  • UK hit the century mark for the first time since a 105-76 win vs. UT Arlington on Nov. 19, 2013.
  • It's the most points for the Wildcats since a 115-87 win over Tennessee State on Dec. 30, 2002.
  • It's the most points for the Wildcats against an SEC opponent since a 120-81 win over Vanderbilt on Feb. 7, 1996.
  • Kentucky shot a season-high 64.7 percent from the field, the ninth time this season the Wildcats have made at least half their shots in a game.
  • Key stats for the Cats:
    • UK won rebounding 44-22. That led to a 21-7 margin on second-chance points.
    • UK won points in the paint 62-24.
    • UK won bench points 43-10.
  • Kentucky had 25 assists, tying the season high set earlier vs. UCLA.
  • Kentucky had balanced scoring with six players in double figures, the first time that has happened since the win over UT Arlington on Nov. 25.
  • Kentucky's streak of 926 consecutive games with a 3-pointer was extended when tripled at the 17:39 mark of the first half.

First-Half Facts

  • Kentucky's strarting lineup featured Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, , Karl-Anthony Towns and for the 10th time this season.
  • Kentucky jumped out to a 30-4 lead.
  • UK's biggest lead of the half was 27 points at 42-15.
  • UK went to intermission ahead 52-26, tying the Missouri game for the largest halftime lead of the season against an SEC opponent.
  • UK's 52 points is the second most this season in a first half.  UK scored 55 in the first half vs. UT Arlington on Nov. 25.

Second-Half Story

  • Kentucky started the second half with , Devin Booker, Andrew Harrison, and Dakari Johnson.
  • Auburn opened the second half with six straight points to pull within 52-32 but the Tigers got no closer than 20 the rest of the way.
  • Kentucky's largest lead was 38 points at 110-72.

Player Notes

  • Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points and 10 rebounds.
    • It is his fifth double-double, the third in the last six games.
    • 19 points tied his season high set on two previous occasions.
    •  He was 8-of-9 from the field and 3-of-3 at the foul line.
  • Aaron Harrison pumped in 18 points, his fourth-highest total of the season.
  • Dakari Johnson had 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
  • Andrew Harrison contributed 12 points and a career-high-tying nine assists.
  • Devin Booker scored 11 points, his 15th double-figure game of the season.
  • Tyler Ulis notched 10 points, the most for him since scoring 11 points at Alabama on Jan.17.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein had nine points, making all four of his field goal attempts.
  • Marcus Lee tallied six points, making all three field goal attempts, along with a career-high-tying eight rebounds.
  • 's 3-pointer was his first points as a Wildcat.

On This Day In UK Basketball History

On March 28, 1992, in what many called the “best NCAA Tournament game ever,” Kentucky takes defending NCAA champion Duke into overtime before losing 104-103 in the East Regional finals in Philadelphia. A last-second shot by Christian Laettner sends Duke to the Final Four, and breaks the hearts of Wildcat fans everywhere. It is Cawood Ledford’s last game as the “Voice of the Wildcats.”

 

On March 28, 1998, against Stanford, Kentucky rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit, then grabbed a 5-point overtime lead, before fending off the Cardinals to advance to the title game for the third straight season. Jeff Sheppard canned three long-range three-pointers - two in the final three minutes and one in overtime - en route to a career-high 27 points.

 

On March 28, 2014, unranked Kentucky beat No. 5 Louisville 74-69, in the 2014 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.  Aaron Harrison buried a three-pointer from the left corner with 39 seconds left that put UK ahead to stay before 41,072 in Lucas Oil Stadium.

 

On March 28, 2015, No. 1 Kentucky defeated No. 8 Notre Dame, 68-66, in the 2015 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.  With its 37-0 record on the line, Kentucky trailed Notre Dame 59-53 with 6:14 left. UK rallied in front of 19,464 fans in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena and preserved its perfect season thanks to a crucial blocked shot by Willie Cauley-Stein and two game-deciding free throws from Andrew Harrison in the final seconds.

 

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