SEC report

Aggies taking no prisoners

Texas A&M's Jalen Jones (12) makes a three point gesture over his eye after hitting a three point basket at the buzzer of the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Florida, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
Texas A&M's Jalen Jones (12) makes a three point gesture over his eye after hitting a three point basket at the buzzer of the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Florida, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Texas A&M's rise to the top of the SEC standings isn't exactly surprising, but the Aggies have done it in a dominating fashion that is raising eyebrows.

Texas A&M's latest victory is a prime example, as it dismantled Georgia, which had been 9-2 at home, by a 79-45 margin on Saturday at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.

The Aggies, 5-0 in conference play for the first time since the 1993-1994 team started 7-0 in the Southwest Conference, have won eight consecutive games, Texas A&M's longest winning streak since a 13-0 run during the 2010-1201 season.

"We've handled success, I think, fairly well," A&M Coach Billy Kennedy said. "This is a fun group to coach. We've got good maturity. This is new territory for us, so some of it's a work in progress and we'll find out."

Texas A&M hosts LSU, which is gaining momentum after an up-and-down nonconference run, tonight at Reed Arena.

"I think they're one of the most complete teams, not only in our conference, but the country," LSU Coach Johnny Jones said. "They've got guys who can really stretch a defense, and they do a great job keeping the floor spaced."

Jalen Jones, who was named SEC player of the week Monday, leads the Aggies with 17.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Danuel House averages 15.9 points per game and freshman Tyler Davis is at 10.8 points per game.

"You can't help off anybody," Missouri Coach Kim Anderson said of defending the Aggies. "You've got to guard everybody. ... They're a really balanced team without any weaknesses that you can expose."

The Aggies held Georgia to season lows of 28.3 percent shooting and 45 points.

"They don't have any weaknesses really," Georgia Coach Mark Fox said. "They are as complete a team as anybody in this league has. ... They're one of the rare teams in the country that have both talent and experience."

$100K storm

Auburn ended its 18-game losing streak against Kentucky with a 75-70 victory on Saturday at Auburn Arena, but it came with a hefty price tag.

The SEC fined Auburn $100,000 on Monday as a repeat violator of the league's "access to competition area" policy because fans stormed the court following the upset. The first violation occurred in the famous "Kick Six" football game in which Chris Davis returned a missed field goal 109 yards to beat Alabama 34-28 in the 2013 Iron Bowl.

Kentucky sent most of its players and other team personnel to the locker room during a timeout in the waning seconds of the victory to help reduce the risk of incidents. The Auburn public address announcer also warned the crowd at least twice to stay off the court as the game was winding down.

"While understanding the enthusiasm following an exciting victory, fans need to remain in the stands and avoid the safety concerns associated with rushing on to the playing floor," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a release announcing the fine. "We want to have exciting experiences around SEC games, but also want to maintain a safe environment for student-athletes, coaches, spectators and officials."

Auburn could be subject to a fine of up to $250,000 for subsequent violations of the policy.

The Tigers' only victory over Kentucky in their previous 33 games had been a 66-63 decision on Jan. 11, 2000. The victory also snapped Auburn's 15-game losing streak against ranked opponents, dating to a 65-55 victory over No. 23 Mississippi State on Feb. 18, 2012.

Ace Allen

Florida guard KeVaughn Allen of North Little Rock scored 27 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including 6 of 7 from three-point range, in the Gators' 80-71 victory at Ole Miss on Saturday. Allen was coming off a scoreless game in a 71-68 loss at Texas A&M.

"The one guy that you can't leave is the one guy that really took complete of the game," Ole Miss Coach Andy Kennedy said.

Allen, who ranks second on the team behind Dorian Finney-Smith with 10.9 points per game, has been held scoreless in three games, hit a season-high 32 points against Florida State and scored at least 10 points in 8 of 17 games.

"We need him to be aggressive every night, regardless of what his shooting percentage is," Florida Coach Mike White said. "We're a team that has our offensive deficiencies. KeVaughn, he can't have good games for us if he's not aggressive."

In the pool

ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi has four SEC teams in his latest NCAA Tournament projection. His selections are Texas A&M as a No. 3 seed, Kentucky as a No. 5 seed, South Carolina as a No. 7 seed, and Florida as a No. 10 seed.

Lunardi lists LSU and Vanderbilt among his first four teams out of the bracket and Florida is one of his last four byes.

CBSSports.com's projection Monday had five SEC teams: Texas A&M (3), South Carolina (5), Kentucky (6) Florida (9) and Alabama (11). The Crimson Tide were one of the last four teams in the bracket in the projection and involved in the play-in round.

Sports on 01/19/2016

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