Jabari Smith's 3-point barrage leads No. 2 Auburn over Vandy

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Auburn freshman Jabari Smith left a strong impression on Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse, even if the young forward wasn't all that dazzled by his own hot shooting.

Smith scored a season-high 31 points and made seven 3-pointers to lead No. 2 Auburn to a 94-80 victory over Vanderbilt on Wednesday night. It was the most points by a Tigers freshman since Toney Douglas had 32 in 2005.

"There wasn’t anything to it," Smith said. "I just got hot a little bit."

More than a little bit.

Walker Kessler added 22 points to help Auburn (24-2, 12-1 Southeastern Conference) overcome a slow start against the Commodores (13-12, 5-8).

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Auburn forward Jabari Smith (10) looks to pass the ball as Vanderbilt forward Quentin Millora-Brown (42) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

The 6-foot-10 Smith did most of his damage from outside. He was 7 of 10 from 3-point range, launching over defenders and making most of them.

"He’s such a good catch-and-shoot player," said Stackhouse, a former NBA standout. "He’s as good as advertised. There’s no doubt he’ll be one of the first two or three picks in the draft this year and he really stepped up and showed why."

It was close most of the way but Vandy had no answer for Auburn's two star big men.

Kessler handled much of the work inside. He blocked seven shots and had seven rebounds while shooting 8 of 10 in a follow-up to his second triple-double of the season.

Auburn also got 12 points, nine assists and seven rebounds from Wendell Green Jr. But it was Smith who kept firing away