TRAVIS GRAF:

Kentucky finds ways to win. It’s hard to beat anyone, let alone one of the best teams in the country, whenever you’re not getting key things that you’re used to from key contributors. Richards only recorded three rebounds, Quickley couldn’t buy a basket from the outside, Maxey disappeared in the second half and Hagans was taking very poor shots and missing them. Maxey and Quickley stepped up in the rebounding department, recording a combined 20. It wasn’t a great matchup to consistently go to E.J. Montgomery, Nate Sestina and Keion Brooks, but all three gave great minutes and battled, answering the bell with the physicality. It was a hard-fought game to win yet another SEC regular-season championship.

JUSTIN ROWLAND:

When Auburn came out of the gate red hot, with Purifoy knocking down three early triples, it looks like the Tigers were primed for an upset. They looked ready to notch a big road win. That Kentucky won this game is extremely impressive. It's a really good sign. Quickley was 3-for-10 from the field. Hagans was 2-for-13. Richards played 18 minutes. Brooks, Juzang, and Montgomery combined for only nine points. Nate Sestina was a bit of a hero with 11 but really this was Kentucky locking Auburn down after their torrid start. This team just finds ways to win games. This was a big resume win and one of the few left for Kentucky. Fans should be proud of how far these guys have come.

DAVID SISK:

This was a war just like the first one. I think we were spot on with some of the things Kentucky would do in this game. They went under screens and the help-side was much better. 34 of Auburn’s 61 shots were 3-pointers. They only made nine of those for 26.5%. There were also seven fewer offense rebounds by the Tigers because more defenders were in the lane. Kentucky was also more aggressive getting to the rim this time around. Kentucky shot 11 more foul shots than Auburn. We thought the guards who won the one-on-one battles would win the game. That was Kentucky. The bench play was also big against Auburn’s depth. They had 15 reserve points in all including 11 from Nate Sestina who was huge on both ends.

JEFF DRUMMOND:

This one was as good as advertised. It was a battle from opening tip to the final minute of play. Auburn, at full strength, is a scary opponent. The Tigers went 9-for-34 from the 3-point arc, hitting just five of their final 30 attempts. Had they got two or three more to fall, it could have been a much different story. Kentucky's defense deserved a lot of credit for that. The Cats' length and quickness helped the Cats hold Auburn to 36% from the field. Offensively, taking care of the ball was a huge factor today. The Cats had only seven turnovers (just one in the first half) and point guard Ashton Hagans finished with a 5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. When the Cats don't waste possessions, they do a great job in the halfcourt because of their ability to knock down free throws (27 of 33). In the end, this was another Q1 win that should further boost UK's seed for March Madness.