No. 13 Kentucky Upset by No. 17 Auburn as Samir Doughty Scores 23 Points

Auburn is searching for a signature win no longer. The No. 17 Tigers kicked off February with a 75-66 home victory over No. 13 Kentucky on Saturday for their first win over a ranked opponent all season. 

Samir Doughty led the way for Auburn (19-2, 6-2 SEC) with 23 points and five rebounds as four Tigers finished in double figures with ESPN's College GameDay on campus. Immanuel Quickley and Tyrese Maxey combined for 45 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the loss for Kentucky (16-5, 6-2 SEC). 

That's now four straight wins for Auburn since it dropped back-to-back games to Alabama and Florida shortly after SEC play opened up. The Tigers have jumped back into second place in the conference, tying the Wildcats at two games back of LSU, which visits Auburn next Saturday. 

"Those were two good teams that are trying to become very good teams," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "We had great balance. We had great senior leadership. Samir Doughty made big plays for us all night long. Austin Wiley had a huge impact on the game."

Wiley finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds—seven of which came on the offensive end, something Pearl boasted about in his press conference.

Kentucky, meanwhile, had a five-point lead with nine minutes left in regulation before Auburn seized control for good. That was still eating away at Kentucky head coach John Calipari after the game. 

"We don't know how to put people away," Calipari said, per The Athletic's Kyle Tucker. "Here's what I said after: We all had a bad day, me included. There's not one guy in our room I would say played well."

Kentucky drops its second game to a ranked opponent this season after falling to then-No. 5 Ohio State in late December. Consistency has been a problem for Calipari's team this season, as the Wildcats have yet to put together a dominant stretch this season.

With signature wins over Louisville, Michigan State and Texas Tech, the Wildcats' resume is filling out nicely, however. That wasn't exactly the case for Auburn despite its AP ranking. A nonconference slate highlighted by the likes of Davidson, New Mexico, Furman and Richmond did the Tigers no favors, making the win against Kentucky as essential as any game they'll play this season. There are currently only two games against ranked opponents left on Auburn's schedule—next Saturday versus No. 22 LSU and a rematch against Kentucky at Rupp Arena on February 29.