No. 2 Auburn stays hot, downs No. 12 Kentucky

Walker Kessler scored 19 points and K.D. Johnson added 17, helping No. 2 Auburn keep its hot streak alive with an 80-71 victory over visiting No. 12 Kentucky on Saturday.

The Tigers (18-1, 7-0 SEC) rallied from a 10-point, firsthalf deficit to win their 15th straight in likely the biggest home game since Auburn Arena opened in 2010.

Kentucky’s No. 2 scorer, TyTy Washington, only played eight minutes and scored four points before being helped off the court with a left ankle injury. He didn’t return.

Kessler hit 8 of 10 shots and had seven rebounds. and Jabari Smith added 14 points and seven boards for the Tigers, who have matched the highest ranking in program history.

Oscar Tshiebwe had 16 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots for Kentucky (15-4, 5-2).

Adam Flagler scored 16 points and the Bears won their 14th consecutive road game.

Defending national champion Baylor (17-2, 5-2 Big 12) bounced back to win both games this week after losing at home to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State the previous week.

Umoja Gibson scored 13 points for the Sooners (12-7, 2-5), who had 25 turnovers while losing their fourth straight.

AJ Griffin hit five 3-pointers as the Blue Devils never trailed in their home win.

Griffin was one of four players for Duke (15-3, 5-2 ACC) with 15 points, joining Paolo Banchero, Wendell Moore Jr. and Mark Williams. Banchero had 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.

Jesse Edwards led Syracuse (9-10, 3-5) with 12 points and nine rebounds.

The Blue Devils held Buddy Boeheim, the Orange’s top scorer (19.2) to 2-of-15 shooting, including 1 of 10 from behind the arc.

Ochai Agbaji hit a baseline jumper with 9 seconds left to lift the Jayhawks on the road.

Agbaji’s shot gave Kansas its first lead since early in the first half. Agbaji scored 29 points.

Jalen Wilson had 16 points for Kansas (16-2, 5-1 Big 12).

The Wildcats (10-8, 2-5) wasted a career-high 35 points by Nijel Pack.

Kyler Edwards had 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and the Cougars rolled to the home victory.

Edwards scored 17 firsthalf points as Houston (17-2, 6-0 AAC) built a 44-14 halftime lead over the Pirates (11-7, 2-4).

Houston extended its win streak to nine games and won its 36th straight at home.

Collin Gillespie scored 28 points and Justin Moore added 19 as the Wildcats beat the host Hoyas for the 17th time in 20 meetings.

Gillespie connected on 6 of 9 3-pointers for the Wildcats (14-5, 7-2 Big East).

Collin Holloway led Georgetown (6-10, 0-5) with 25 points. The Hoyas have lost six straight and have started Big East play with five straight losses for the first time in program history.

Santiago Vescovi scored 16 points as the host Volunteers handed the Tigers their third straight loss.

Tennessee (13-5, 4-3 SEC) opened with a 14-0 run spanning more than six minutes.

Tari Eason had 16 points for LSU (15-4, 3-4), which defeated the Vols by 12 points two weeks ago.

Damion Baugh scored 23 points as the visiting Horned Frogs (13-3, 3-2 Big 12) held the Cyclones (14-5, 2-5) to their lowest point total in the 50-year history of Hilton Coliseum.

The previous low was 45 points against Tennessee in 2018.