• UK had won 14 of its 16 games under Mark Pope at Rupp prior to Saturday’s loss to Auburn.
• Saturday was the Tigers’ 16th Quad 1 victory, six more than any other Division I club.

LEXINGTON — In well over half a century of watching basketball, Bob Ryan had never seen it. Nor had Jay Bilas, himself a keen basketball observer for decades. 

The moment in question: Auburn guard Miles Kelly banked in 3-pointers. From opposite sides of the floor. On back-to-back possessions. Less than 20 seconds apart in Saturday’s first half at Rupp Arena. 

It’s not as if the Tigers needed any luck. 

They entered the day at the top of both the USA TODAY Coaches and Associated Press Top 25 polls, after all. 

But on a day they were lucky — at times — the Tigers also were good. 

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Kentucky basketball had no answers for that dynamic duo, falling in lopsided fashion, 94-78. 

It was unlike any home loss the Wildcats had suffered this season. Kentucky (19-10, 8-8 SEC) had won 14 of its 16 games at Rupp prior to Saturday under first-year coach Mark Pope. Alabama clipped UK by five points (102-97) in January. And one month to the day, Arkansas (and former coach John Calipari) handed Kentucky its worst home setback in an 89-79 decision Feb. 1. 

The worst before the Tigers arrived in Lexington, anyway. 

Auburn (27-2, 15-1) has authored one of the greatest regular seasons in college basketball history even before Saturday’s tilt tipped off. 

To wit: 

• Saturday was the Tigers’ 16th Quad 1 victory, six more than any other Division I club.(Alabama, which entered the day second with 10 such wins, has an opportunity for another Quad 1 triumph Saturday at Tennessee.) 

Given all that, the Wildcats needed to play a near-perfect game, offensively and defensively, to fell the top-ranked Tigers. 

Kentucky was nowhere close to perfection Saturday. 

UK, the best 3-point shooting team in the SEC, sank four Saturday. And the Wildcats missed their first four attempts from long range until sharpshooter Koby Brea finally got one to fall with 7:21 remaining in the first half. 

The Wildcats also did themselves no favors protecting the ball. They committed 18 turnovers, a season high, which the Tigers turned into 21 points. 

Defensively, UK forced Auburn into only eight giveaways. At the same time, the visitors connected on 51.8% (29 for 56) of their shots from the field, with 46.2% aim (12 of 26) behind the 3-point line. The Tigers did this on a day when superstar forward Johni Broome, one of the favorites to win the Wooden Award, was held (relatively) in check offensively. Broome finished with nine points, only the third time this season he failed to reach double figures. 

He was picked up by his teammates, led by Kelly’s 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting (9 for 14 on 3s); Kelly’s nine triples were the fourth most by an opposing player against the Wildcats. 

Elsewhere, Chad Baker-Mazura had 22 points while Tahaad Pettiford had 21 points off the bench to contribute to the Tigers’ win. 

This win was a long time coming for a basketball-starved program: Saturday was Auburn’s first time tasting victory in Lexington since Jan. 9, 1988, snapping a 20-game skid at Rupp Arena. UK had been 31-2 at Rupp versus Auburn — and an eye-popping 51-2 in games held in Lexington. That ledger now reads 31-3 and 51-3, respectively. 

UK is back at home for its next outing, which will double as senior night. Kentucky hosts LSU at 7 p.m. Tuesday. LSU has had a rough go of it this season: It entered Saturday with a 14-14 record, with a 3-12 mark in SEC play. That put LSU 15th in the league standings, ahead of only South Carolina (1-14 in conference games). 

LSU played at Mississippi State on Saturday. 

Kentucky has a decisive advantage in the all-time series with LSU, up 93-29. The programs have split the past four meetings, however. And LSU won the most recent clash on a last-second buzzer beater last season in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

Tuesday night’s tilt between UK and LSU will air on ESPN2. 

This story will be updated.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.