Box score, MVP and Twitter reactions to Kentucky’s brutal defeat at Auburn

· Yahoo Sports

Feb 21, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Mouhamed Dioubate (23) goes up for a shot over Auburn Tigers forward Filip Jovic (38) during the first half at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images | John Reed-Imagn Images

Down 66-60 with just over three minutes remaining, things were looking bleak for the Wildcats. Then, just as he has so many times in his two seasons with the Wildcats, Otega Oweh took over.

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Oweh finished with a game-high and career-high 29 points, but it wasn’t enough.

Keshawn Murphy’s put-back jumper with just over a second remaining gave Auburn a 75-74 lead. Malachi Moreno couldn’t handle the ensuing inbounds pass, and Kentucky fell for the third straight time since winning seven of eight games.

First Half

Malachi Moreno scored the first basket for Kentucky on their first possession. That was the good thing. The not-so-good thing was that he went down with what looked like an ankle injury. Good news: He got up on his own power and quickly returned to the bench and returned to the game three minutes later. Moreno scored four points in the first four-plus minutes for Kentucky.

As with most Kentucky games this season, the first half saw Auburn in the driver’s seat. Brandon Garrison picked up three fouls in the first 10:22 of the game, and Collin Chandler also had two in the first four minutes.

Shooting, though, wasn’t the issue for Kentucky. It was rebounding. The Wildcats struggled to keep Auburn off the offensive glass.

But the Wildcats made enough shots to not let Auburn pull away, and it led to a 7-0 run by Kentucky to end the first half. They went from down 35-32 to leading 39-35 at halftime, highlighted by an Otega Oweh and-one dunk that led to a three-pointer play.

Kentucky also led the rebound battle 19-15, including 8-7 on the offensive glass. The Wildcats held Auburn scoreless for the final 2:48 of the first half, and the Tigers missed 12 of their final 14 shots.

Second Half

The Cats came out and started the second half exactly like they needed to. They started with a 7-2 run to extend the lead to 46-37.

Then, though, Auburn responded with a 10-2 run to cut it to 48-47. Kentucky had a stretch where they missed 10 of 11 shots, but their defense dug in and held Auburn to a field goal drought that covered almost three minutes.

With Kentucky trailing 57-54 with 6:53 remaining, Otega Oweh reentered the game with four fouls. He proceeded to make two straight driving layups to pull Kentucky even at 59-59.

Auburn, though, got hot and took a 64-60 lead into the under-four media timeout.

Oweh hit a three to make it 68-66 with 2:36 remaining, and his driving layup tied the game with 2:01 to play.

Then, with less than a minute to play, Kentucky got a steal. You know what happened next. Oweh took it and slammed it home to give Kentucky the lead…

Sadly, after some back-and-forth free throws, Kentucky had the ball up one but committed an offensive foul after Collin Chandler pushed off.

After that, Auburn got three attempts for the game-winner before Elyjah Freeman got a put-back with one second remaining, and the Tigers came away with the 75-74 win.

Box Score

MVP: Otega Oweh. Duh!

Oweh was in attack mode all night, breaking away for dunks, getting to his spots, and hitting shots. He also got in the middle of the lane for rebounds, tying for the team lead in that category.

With less than a minute remaining, Oweh punctuated his night with a go-ahead slam dunk off a steal. How many times have we seen that?!

Even though it wasn’t enough, Oweh has been playing behind all season.

Kentucky vs. Auburn Twitter Reactions

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