Upsets rule in college basketball roundup.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Allen Flannigan scored 21 points and he and JT Thor each sank a pair of clutch free throws in the last 18 seconds to preserve Auburn's 66-59 come-from-behind win over Kentucky on Saturday.
The Wildcats turned the ball over 18 times, 12 of those coming after halftime when Auburn finally found its groove after woeful early shooting, and rallied into the lead for the final 10 minutes.
Flannigan scored 16 after halftime, Devan Cambridge scored five of his 13 points during a 9-0 run by the Tigers (8-6, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) midway through the final period when they wrested momentum away from Kentucky (4-8, 3-2).
Freshman Sharife Cooper, finally cleared to play by the NCAA a week ago, scored eight of his 11 points after halftime and made eight assists.
Flannigan started the pivotal 9-0 run with a defensive rebound leading to his bucket that tied the game at 43. Kentucky lost its next possession on an offensive foul and Cambridge knocked down a 3-pointer for a 46-43 lead at 10:07 and Auburn never trailed again.
All nine Wildcats scored with Davion Mitz leading with 11 points, Jacob Toppin added 10 but only two in the second half. Toppin and Dontaie Allen led Kentucky to a 25-21 halftime lead. Allen was held scoreless after intermission, finishing with eight points.
Each team was cold early, Kentucky leading 9-2 despite 4-for-16 shooting only because Auburn was 1 of 15. The Tigers missed their first eight shots from behind the 3-point arc.
Since the beginning of the 2015-16 season, Auburn is 4-4 against the Wildcats. That is the second-most wins by any SEC team against Kentucky in that span and the first time Auburn has beaten Kentucky in four consecutive seasons since 1987-90.
SUIT UP?
Kentucky's John Calipari was asked about stepping up his wardrobe game for the start of SEC play this month, going from casual to tailored, donning a sharp sportscoat. "I wanted to feel like I was coaching again. I was kind of feeling like this was all pickup basketball. I wanted to feel like I was coaching, that's why I did it,” Calipari said.
Kentucky is at Georgia on Wednesday. Auburn travels to Arkansas on Wednesday.
NO. 17 MISSOURI 68, TEXAS A&M 52
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — A COVID-19 pause left Missouri a little rusty before the Tigers shook it off and beat Texas A&M.
Dru Smith scored 15 points and the 17th-ranked Tigers beat the Aggies 68-52 on Saturday. It was Missouri's first game since Jan. 5 before they got paused because of a positive coronavirus test within the program.
Though Missouri was without its full team for practice for a week while players were quarantined, the Tigers used the break to regain focus after the early-January loss.
“We were watching film on our own and stuff, just making sure the we were locked in still,” senior forward Jeremiah Tilmon said. “That helped us out. In our group chats, (we were) making sure that we were going into this game being focused. Making sure we were keyed in on defense and taking open shots. Making sure that we had the right energy.”
Tilmon had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers (8-2, 2-2 SEC).
Sophomore guard Andre Gordon paced the Aggies (7-5, 2-4) with 19 points.
The Tigers led 27-24 at the half and used a 21-5 run midway through the second half to take control of the game.
After trailing for the majority of the first half, Missouri mounted a 12-2 run to close out the half and held the Aggies scoreless for the final four minutes. In that run, Texas A&M went 0-for-11 from the field.
A&M head coach Buzz Williams said it was a drop in defensive energy that opened the door four Missouri's second-half offensive surge.
“I thought we closed down the half without much energy,” he said. “It wasn't zero energy, it was just lacking, relative to the cohesiveness we need to play with on both ends. And then I think we started the second half worse than we ended the first half.”
MISSISSIPPI STATE 72, FLORIDA 69
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Tolu Smith scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Mississippi
State to a 72-69 victory over Florida on Saturday.
The 6-foot-10 Smith was 11-of-13 shooting and posted his fifth double-double this season. His 6-11 frontline partner Abdul Abu added 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting with nine rebounds. Mississippi State (9-5, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) dominated the paint, outscoring the Gators 52-28.
The Bulldogs led 70-60 with just under a minute to go. Florida's Tre Mann scored seven points from there before missing an awkward and contested 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Iverson Molinar added 13 points — he has scored in double figures in all 11 games he has played — and D.J. Stewart Jr. had 11 for the Bulldogs, who made only 1 of 8 3-pointers and 13 of 24 free throws. But their inside scoring and 47-26 rebounding advantage made the difference.
Tyree Appleby made all 11 of his free throws and scored 20 points for the Gators with Colin Castleton adding 16 points and six blocks after blocking seven in his previous game. He is the first SEC player with six-plus blocked shots in consecutive games since LSU's Jordan Mickey in the 2014-2015 season.
Mann scored 14 points for the Gators (6-4, 3-3), who were missing starter Scottie Lewis (11 ppg) for the second straight game because of safety protocols.
The Bulldogs have won three straight over the Gators for the first time since the 1982-83 season.