LEXINGTON, Ky. | With No. 1 Auburn trying to run the clock out with 2:11 left and a 15-point lead over No. 17 Kentucky, Miles Kelly found himself wide open from behind the three-point line. Conventional wisdom would have been to hold onto the ball, get more time off the clock and slowly put the Wildcats away with free throws.
This was not a conventional day for Miles or for the top-ranked Tigers.
Kelly drilled a three, his ninth of the day, to put the dagger right into the opposing bench, and the few decked out in blue and white that dared to stay in the stands and see their team get dominated by Kelly and the Tigers.
Of course, it was already Kelly's day, and it started on the first possession. Bruce Pearl drew up a play that got the guard open in the corner. Kelly didn't miss.
Four minutes later, the Stone Mountain, Ga., had Kentucky fans wondering if he would miss. First, he made a layup to give Auburn a 7-4 advantage. After the Cats cut it to one with two free throws, Kelly drained his second three of the day. Following a three-point play by Chad Baker-Mazara, Kelly tested precisely how hot he was from the outside, banking in two straight threes from opposite sides of the court to extend Auburn's lead to 13.
In less than six minutes, the guard already had 14 points. He would end up with 30, a season-high that helped Auburn win in Rupp Arena for the first time in 37 years and clinch a share of the SEC regular season title.
"I mean, I just came out feeling it," Kelly said. "The first possession down, they went to me, and I knocked the shot down. After that, I was feeling it from there. Rupp rims, I love them. It felt good. Every time I shot the ball, I thought it was going in. My teammates did a great job of finding me."
As for hitting the game's first shot, Kelly was happy to give his team some positive energy.
"It means a lot," he said. "First play down, we come out and hit a three on the very first possession. It just brings the overall team energy up. When you hit your first shot, you just have ultimate confidence the rest of the game, and that's what I have."
Pearl even went as far as saying Kentucky knew what was coming.
"I guarantee you Kentucky knew one of the first looks was gonna be screen the screener for Miles Kelly," the coach said. "And when you call that number, when you call his play early, obviously, I'm sending him a message that we have confidence in him, and he obviously knocked a bunch of big shots down."
