Calipari, No. 1 Kentucky run streak to 27

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Before taking the court Saturday against Auburn, Kentucky head coach John Calipari was in familiar territory. This year’s top-ranked Wildcats team joined Calipari’s 1996 UMass team and his 2008 Memphis squad having reeled off 26 straight wins to open a season.

Neither the Minutemen nor the Tigers won No. 27.

On Saturday, the Wildcats (27-0, 14-0 SEC) came out determined to make sure history wasn’t repeated and that Calipari would get a 27th straight win by scoring the first nine points and cruising to a 110-75 win over Auburn.

Saturday’s win provided a sweet taste of revenge for Calipari as it was Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl who was at the helm at Tennessee when the Volunteers put an end to Memphis’ streak.

“They hit us on a tough day,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “We were working on all cylinders. I mean, 25 assists. We were good.”

Auburn (12-15, 4-10) did not make a field goal for nearly the first 11 minutes of the game. The Tigers made their first goal with 9:03 left in the half.

Their only other points until that point came on two free throws and a goaltending call against Kentucky. Auburn was officially 1-for-13.

The second half was nothing more than a highlight reel of high-flying dunks as Kentucky reached the 100-point plateau for the first time this season. A pair of free throws by sophomore guard Aaron Harrison made the score 100-69 with 3:15 remaining. The 34-point lead was also Kentucky’s biggest of the game at the time.

“They’re physically overwhelming. I’ve never seen freshmen that strong, that physical,” Pearl said. “It’s nothing like anything we see all year long. There’s nobody in the league that’s even close to that.”

Kentucky’s largest lead came with 1:20 remaining when a 3-pointer by seldom used reserve Tod Lanter made the score 110-72. The point total was the most for Kentucky since a 115-87 win over Tennessee-Martin on Dec. 30, 2002.

Kentucky freshman center Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds in just 21 minutes. He made 8 of 9 field goals and added four blocks and two assists.

“I sat him down at the end and said ‘You’re making strides.’ He’s starting to be the best version of himself,” Calipari said. “But Karl is nowhere near what he’ll be in a few years.”

Aaron Harrison added 18 points, sophomore center Dakari Johnson had 13 points in 16 minutes, sophomore guard Andrew Harrison scored 12 to go with nine assists. Freshmen guards Devin Booker and Tyler Ulis had 11 and 10, respectively.

Kentucky shot a season-high 64.7 percent (44 of 68). The Wildcats also recorded 25 assists and doubled up Auburn on the boards, 44-22.

Senior guard Antoine Mason led Auburn with 29 points on 9 of 16 shooting. He was 5-for-6 from 3-point range. Senior guard KT Harrell scored 17 points.

NOTES: In its last outing Tuesday at Tennessee, Kentucky’s 66-48 victory gave the Wildcats the school record for most wins to start a season, 26. The old record, which stood 61-0 years, was set in 1954 by a team that included future Basketball Hall of Famers Cliff Hagan and Frank Ramsey. … At halftime of Saturday’s game, Kentucky retired the jersey of former All-American Tony Delk, MVP of the 1996 Final Four. … Auburn arrived to face No. 1 Kentucky looking for its first win over a ranked team since February, 2012.