Auburn clinches (at least a share) third regular season SEC championship under Bruce Pearl
Auburn has won their third SEC regular season championship in the last eight seasons and fifth conference championship overall in the Bruce Pearl era.
No. 1 Auburn clinched at least a share of the SEC championship with a win at No. 17 Kentucky on Saturday. It’s the first win inside Rupp Arena for the Tigers since January of 1988 and only the third win inside Rupp or in Lexington all time for Auburn.
RAPID REACTION: NO. 1 AUBURN 94, NO. 17 KENTUCKY 78
It’s Auburn’s fifth regular season SEC championship in program history. Three have come under Pearl’s leadership.
Alabama is still alive to share the title with Auburn, but will need to win their remaining three games and have Auburn lose both remaining games to make that happen. Alabama plays at Tennessee on Saturday and hosts Florida next week before traveling to Auburn.
If Alabama loses on Saturday night in Knoxville, the Tigers will win the SEC title outright. Florida, with four losses, is officially out of the title chase.
The Tigers have won two SEC Tournament championships, including last season. Meaning, the last two possible conference titles up for grabs, Auburn has won. Pearl’s bunch will go for a second-straight tournament title in Nashville later this month.
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Pearl said on Friday before traveling to Lexington that he would up front and honest with his team about the opportunities to make history and win championships over these final three SEC games. It would seem the team took note.
“I think you got to be honest and open about it. I do,” Pearl said on Friday. “They know Alabama and Florida are both within range of a championship based on all of our schedules and the things just got to be played out. I’d rather have them know than say to me afterwards, ‘gosh, I didn’t realize how close we were to winning it or not.’”
With the win, Auburn ties the program record for regular season wins at 27 with the 2021-22 team led by Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler, and ties the program record for SEC wins at 15 with that same Smith-Kessler-led championship team. The Tigers still have two games remaining at Texas A&M and at home against Alabama to break those records.
And with the win, Pearl ties former Auburn coach Sonny Smith with the most wins versus Kentucky at seven.
