Many chalked up much of Vanderbilt's disappointing season to the month-long absence of 7-1 power forward Luke Kornet to injury. The Commodores' 75-57 victory over Auburn couldn't have provided better evidence for their case.

The junior posted a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks, posting the second triple-double in school history.

He was nearly joined by point guard Wade Baldwin (17 points, 10 assists), who finished three rebounds shy of that distinction.

Though Vanderbilt's star center Damian Jones spent most of the game in foul trouble, those two alone were too much for Auburn. The Tigers (32.8 percent from the field) particularly had trouble with Kornet's length, even when he wasn't blocking shots.

Vanderbilt (9-7, 1-3 SEC), which lost its first three conference games all by narrow margins, had no such issues in this one. Baldwin's drive and pull-up in traffic, plus an ensuing free throw, extended the margin over 20 for the first time at 60-39 with 9:46 left.

Auburn forward Cinmeon Bowers sent Kornet crashing to the floor on a lay-up attempt with 44.6 seconds left; Kornet missed both free throws, but put back the second miss to make school history.

Vanderbilt took a 23-13 lead early in a free-flowing, fast-paced offensive game where the 16-minute media time out didn't come until 11:12.

Auburn cranked up the heat defensively as the half progressed, but with Baldwin handing out nine assists in the first 16 minutes and the Commodores hitting their first six 3-pointers, Vanderbilt took a 39-22 edge at half.

Guard Kareem Canty scored 16 points and Bowers 13 for the Tigers (7-8, 1-3), who lost their 11th straight in the series.