AUBURN, Ala. -- Tyler Herro and the Kentucky Wildcats didn't flinch when their seemingly comfortable lead was wiped out.
Faced with a hostile crowd and No. 14 Auburn's red-hot Bryce Brown, the 12th-ranked Wildcats survived a big comeback attempt in an 82-80 victory on Saturday.
Herro scored 10 points in the final 5:23 and made two free throws with 24 seconds left, then Immanuel Quickley added another.
"This is so hard for these kids," Kentucky Coach John Calipari said. "What I'm proud of is we're playing a veteran team that's been through wars, that has been through games like this, that made shots.
"They were down 17 and they never stopped. And guess what? Neither did we."
It made for a dramatic finish for two teams who meet again Feb. 23 in Lexington.
The Wildcats (14-3, 4-1) rebounded after losing a 17-point second-half lead to finish off a showdown between two of the league's top teams.
Auburn (13-4, 2-2) took an 80-79 lead on Jared Harper's contested three-pointer over Ashton Hagans with 32 seconds left. Herro grabbed the lead back from the line, then Harper held onto the ball for what he hoped would be a game-winner.
The Tigers' 6-foot point guard drove and launched a shot that hit the backboard and bounced off the rim a couple of times but rattled out.
"I knew when I was able to get by him, that I had the angle," Harper said. "I feel like when I shot it, I put it in the right place on the backboard and it just didn't go in."
And the Wildcats breathed a sigh of relief.
"We're lucky to get out of here alive," Calipari said. "We're lucky he missed that little shot."
Quickley grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He made the first of two free throws with 3 seconds left and Samir Doughty's long three-point heave missed at the buzzer.
Herro and Keldon Johnson both scored 20 points for the Wildcats.
Travis Reid had 17 points and seven rebounds as the Tigers played without injured center Austin Wiley. PJ Washington scored 13.
NO. 3 TENNESSEE 71, ALABAMA 68
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Grant Williams scored 21 points, and No. 3 Tennessee rallied past Alabama for its 12th consecutive victory and a chance to climb atop the AP Top 25.
After No. 1 Duke lost to Syracuse on Monday and No. 2 Michigan fell at Wisconsin on Saturday, the Volunteers (16-1, 5-0) could lead the poll Monday for the first time since 2008.
Admiral Schofield had 12 points and 11 rebounds for Tennessee, and he made the basket that put the Vols ahead for good with 2:12 left. Alabama is now 11-6 and 2-3 in conference play.
NO. 24 MISSISSIPPI ST. 71, VANDERBILT 55
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Quinndary Weatherspoon scored 17 points and No. 24 Mississippi State never trailed in routing struggling Vanderbilt.
The Bulldogs (14-3, 2-2) have won two consecutive after dropping their first two games to open league play. Tyson Carter and Aric Holman added 10 apiece for the Bulldogs.
Saben Lee scored 13 points to lead the Commodores (9-8, 0-5), and Aaron Nesmith added 11.
MISSOURI 66, TEXAS A&M 43
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Jordan Geist scored 17 points and Jeremiah Tilmon added 14 as Missouri dominated Texas A&M.
Geist made 6-of-7 shots from the field, including 4-of-5 three-pointers. Nearly halfway through the second half, the Aggies had made only six field goals for the game, as the Tigers poured it on with the outcome no longer in doubt.
Missouri (10-6, 1-3) won its first league game while A&M (7-9, 1-4) lost its fourth consecutive home game.
FLORIDA 62, GEORGIA 52
ATHENS, Ga. -- KeVaughn Allen (North Little Rock) scored 13 points, Noah Locke added 10 points and Florida rallied from a brief second-half deficit to beat Georgia.
After losing to South Carolina, No. 3 Tennessee and Mississippi State by an average of less than five points, Florida (10-7, 2-3) closed the game out by holding Georgia (9-8, 1-4) without a field goal for nearly nine minutes at the end of the second half.
Rayshaun Hammonds, Georgia's leading scorer this season, was held without a point for the second time in the last five games. Second-leading scorer Nicolas Claxton had nine points and 12 rebounds.
LSU 89, SOUTH CAROLINA 67
BATON ROUGE -- Emmitt Williams and Naz Reid each scored 15 points as LSU extended its winning streak to seven games by defeating South Carolina.
The Tigers (14-3, 4-0), who led for nearly the entire game, have won their first four SEC games for the first time in 13 seasons. LSU's 2006 Final Four team won its first seven conference games.
A.J. Lawson led the Gamecocks (9-8, 4-1) with 18 points and Keyshawn Bryant scored 10.
Sports on 01/20/2019