Feb. 25, 1998

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) – Senior guard Jeff Sheppard scored a career-high 25points Wednesday night to help No. 7 Kentucky clinch the SoutheasternConference Eastern Division with an 83-58 victory over Auburn.

Scott Padgett added 19 points for Kentucky (25-4, 13-2), which improved to10-0 on the road and can complete its road sweep of SEC opponents with a winSaturday at No. 14 South Carolina.

Auburn (15-11, 7-8) came in needing an upset to keep its faint NCAAtournament hopes alive. But the Tigers never had much of a chance, playing withjust seven scholarship players due to last week’s indefinite suspensions ofRandy Hughes and Derek Caldwell for violating team rules.

With Kentucky leading 21-15 midway through the first half, Sheppard andPadgett scored eight straight points for a 29-15 lead. Kentucky’s lead neverslipped below 11 after that.

Padgett was 8-for-9 from the field while Sheppard finished 10-for-19 withfive 3-pointers, His 3 with 5:46 left closed an 11-2 run that gave the Wildcatsa 70-47 lead.

Wayne Turner had 11 points in helping make up for a below-average night fromNazr Mohammed, the Wildcats’ leading scorer who finished with three points andtwo rebounds.

Doc Robinson led Auburn with 15 points, including several playground movesthat led to open shots, but he was the only effective weapon for the Tigers.

Their leading scorer, Bryant Smith, played with a sore right ankle, andfinished with five points, all on free throws. Auburn’s only senior, FranklinWilliams, finished his home career with 14 points on 3-for-12 shooting.

It was the third straight defeat for the Tigers and their 12th consecutiveloss to Kentucky, which won the East for the fifth time since the SEC splitinto divisions seven seasons ago.