Kentucky vs. Auburn: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 SEC Tournament

Kentucky took another comfortable step forward in its quest for perfection, as the Wildcats improved to 33-0 and advanced to the SEC tournament final with a 91-67 win over the Auburn Tigers.

Unlike the tight test a day prior against Florida that resembled so many of their close wins during the season, the Wildcats exerted their dominance from the opening tip. They led by double digits from the 13:50 mark of the first half on, extending their lead to as many as 27 throughout the second half.

Kentucky's defensive formidability was once again on display as it held Auburn to 33 percent shooting, but a balanced offensive explosion made it no contest from the opening minutes. The Wildcats shot a red-hot 56.3 percent from the field (7-for-14 from deep), with Willie Cauley-Stein adding 18 points and Andrew Harrison pouring in 15.

Winners of three games in three straight days, Bruce Pearl's 13th-seeded Tigers couldn't keep the magic going in Music City. While Antoine Mason posted a game-high 23 points, star guard KT Harrell was held in check (13 points, 1-for-12) and the undermanned Tigers were whooped in the post by Kentucky's tall trees.

The win means Kentucky will play in Sunday's SEC tournament championship against either second-seeded Arkansas or No. 3 seed Georgia.

The win guarantees Kentucky's undefeated season will live another day, but also leaves no doubt that the Wildcats will be the top overall seed in March Madness, per CBS Sports:

ESPN Stats and Info also added that the Wildcats made history on Saturday:

The Tigers' post struggles were compounded before tip-off, losing their pair of front court starters. Jordon Granger was suspended one game for throwing a punch in Friday's LSU game, while Auburn released the shocking news 15 minutes before the game that standout Cinmeon Bowers was suspended for a "potential rules violation." That left the Tigers in a bind, as USA Today's Nicole Auerbach noted:

Without its best two post players, Auburn got the first lead of the game—but its 2-0 lead quickly turned into an aberration, as Brandon Marcello of AL.com quipped:

The Tigers' only lead of the game lasted just seconds. Following the 2-0 start, Kentucky went on to score 34 of the next 44 points and take a commanding 20-point lead during many stretches of the opening half.

Pearl's strategy of fronting the post—used magnificently Friday vs. LSU—worked for stretches, but it would only last if Kentucky failed to knock down its open shots. Andrew Harrison and Aaron Harrison had no such ideas, hitting a good percentage of their looks early on to open up room in the post, as Sports Illustrated's Zac Ellis noted:

Some big shots by Mason and K.C. Ross-Miller allowed Auburn to keep the score from getting too ugly, but even in the Tigers' best offensive stretches, they could only exchange blows. Kentucky led 47-29 at the half, and the overarching theme of the opening 20 minutes set the stage for a similarly dominant second half.

Auburn began the second half with an 8-5 run and cut the deficit to just 13 with 14 minutes to go, but the Tigers' newfound confidence didn't last long. It was followed by a 14-0 Kentucky run that made it a 27-point contest with 10 minutes still to go, and allowed John Calipari to dig into a 12-man rotation usually not seen in important games.

The wide-open final minutes also resulted in more of Kentucky's signature run-outs and alley-oops, and gave Cauley-Stein a chance to better fine tune the NBA skills he'll need very soon, per Lexington Courier-Journal's Kyle Tucker:

There's no doubt that the thousands upon thousands of Kentucky faithful that spilled into Nashville's Bridgestone Arena are glad they made the visit, after watching another dominant performance from the Wildcats. One more win, and they will know that the quest for 40-0 is still very much alive.

But while it's all smiles from the Big Blue fans, the losing Auburn Tigers can't possibly have much to frown about. They came from a play-in game on Wednesday to win three games in three days, including wins over NCAA tournament bubble teams LSU and Texas A&M.

Fox Sports' Tim Brando—like many—see a bright future ahead with Pearl on The Plains:

But whether it's Pearl's surprising Tigers or one of the dangerous teams in Arkansas and Georgia that lie ahead, it's hard to see this Kentucky freight train stopping anytime soon. Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News isn't convinced a NBA team could contend:

The Wildcats won't be able to mount a perfect record without one more win in Nashville, but they can look to successes against both of their prospective opponents. While a late comeback was needed in a road win at Georgia, they're a combined 3-0 against the Bulldogs and Razorbacks.

Kentucky's place as the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament wouldn't evaporate with a loss, but it's obvious by now that the Wildcats are playing for much more than simple seeding. A handful of more wins, and they'll be making history.