Mar 1, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Auburn Tigers ahead Chaney Johnson celebrates with guard Miles Kelly after the sport towards the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Area at Central Financial institution Heart. Necessary Credit score: Jordan Prather-Imagn Photographs Nationwide Participant of the 12 months candidate Johni Broome receives a lot of the consideration for top-ranked Auburn’s stellar season, however different gamers have stepped as much as ship key performances.
It was senior guard Miles Kelly who excelled in that function within the Tigers’ final contest and he’ll look to ship one other sturdy outing when Auburn faces No. 22 Texas A&M on Tuesday night time in Southeastern Convention play at Faculty Station, Texas.
The Tigers (27-2, 15-1 SEC) don’t have anything to play for Tuesday after clinching the outright regular-season title on Saturday — and no person’s questioning their credentials as a No. 1 seed within the NCAA Match.
Texas A&M (20-9, 9-7) figures to be fairly hungry after dropping 4 consecutive video games.
Auburn is coming off a stellar 94-78 victory over then-No. 17 Kentucky, its first victory in Lexington in 37 years and simply its third in 54 general visits.
Kelly was hotter than lava as he made a career-best 9 3-pointers and scored a season-high 30 factors. He personally ended the Tigers’ 20-game dropping streak on Kentucky’s ground.
“At shootaround, I fell in love with the edges,” Kelly stated. “All the pieces I used to be placing up at shootaround was stepping into. I knew I’d get some appears early and I knocked them down. My teammates did an incredible job of discovering me.”
The massive efficiency lifted Kelly’s scoring common to 11.5, third on the squad behind Broome (18.4) and Chad Baker-Mazara (13.0). He has knocked down a team-best 69 treys and is making 41.1 % of his pictures from behind the arc.
Kelly spent three seasons at Georgia Tech earlier than transferring to Auburn after final season.
He established profession highs in scoring (14.4 factors per recreation) and 3-pointers (89) as a sophomore with the Yellow Jackets. However as a junior, his general capturing fell to 36.9 % and his proficiency from 3-point vary was simply 32.1 %.
Baker-Mazara matched his season excessive of twenty-two factors towards Kentucky and reserve Tahaad Pettiford scored 21 factors on a day during which Broome had simply 9 factors.
Texas A&M was crusing together with 5 straight victories earlier than the present four-game slide that features Saturday’s 89-70 loss at then-No. 3 Florida.
The Aggies had simply three assists on 23 baskets and shot 39 % from the ground towards the Gators. Florida outscored Texas A&M 42-15 from the 3-point line, which may very well be a great signal for Kelly.
“(The Gators) are very proficient in how they play, very environment friendly in how they play,” Aggies coach Buzz Williams stated. “I believe how we play defensively considerably encourages threes. And so groups which have as many shooters as they’ve and are as snug with the ball, it is going to most likely result in excessive assists and excessive threes.”
Zhuric Phelps scored 16 factors to steer the Aggies and Pharrel Payne added 14.
Wade Taylor IV was simply 1 of seven from 3-point vary whereas scoring 11 factors. Taylor leads Texas A&M in scoring (15.1) and 3-pointers (61), however he is capturing simply 32.4 % behind the arc.
“I do assume whatever the opponent, he instructions consideration,” Williams stated of Taylor. “A few of it’s due to his capability to attain. A few of it’s as a result of in lots of respects, he makes good choices that assist our staff.”
Texas A&M additionally has misplaced to then-No. 21 Mississippi State and then-No. 6 Tennessee throughout its skid, however the one which harm most was falling 86-84 at residence to Vanderbilt.
The Aggies are tied for sixth with Ole Miss within the SEC race and badly want an enormous effort on Tuesday. Their regular-season finale is Saturday at LSU.
Auburn received final season’s lone assembly, dispatching visiting Texas A&M 66-55.
–Subject Stage Media
