Kentucky at Auburn: Preview, Odds, How to Watch

Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers are cooking up something nice on the Plains as the SEC’s last remaining undefeated team at home while sitting at 20-5 overall. The analytics love them at No. 6 in the NET and No. 4 in KenPom with the No. 9 offense and No. 4 defense nationally in terms of efficiency, the only team ranked inside the top 10 on both ends of the floor.

Kentucky is right there in the conversation offensively at No. 7 overall, but miles away defensively at No. 104 overall. The Cats’ resume is in desperate need of a boost, but it won’t come easy on Saturday.

Let’s preview the matchup.

How To Watch

No. 22 Kentucky (17-7) at No. 13 Auburn (20-5)
6 p.m. ET | Saturday, Feb. 16 | Neville Arena

• TV: ESPN (Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Jess Sims)
• Streaming: WatchESPN
• Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• Online Radio: iHeart
• Satellite Radio: Sirius 82 or SiriusXM App
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Last Five

Kentucky: NET 24, KenPom 26

• 1/31: 94-91 L (OT) vs. Florida
• 2/3: 103-92 L vs. Tennessee
• 2/6: 109-77 W at Vanderbilt
• 2/10: 89-85 L vs. Gonzaga
• 2/13: 75-63 W vs. Ole Miss

Auburn: NET 6, KenPom 4

• 1/31: 81-54 W vs. Vanderbilt
• 2/3: 91-77 W at Ole Miss
• 2/7: 99-81 W vs. 16 Alabama
• 2/10: 81-65 L at Florida
• 2/14: 101-61 W vs. No. 11 South Carolina

Series History

Kentucky holds an overwhelming edge in the series, leading 97-23 overall and 31-18 at Auburn including a 14-6 record under John Calipari. On the flip side, though, the Tigers own a three-game home winning streak and have won five of the last six at home in the series.

Bruce Pearl is 6-8 against the Wildcats at Auburn and 10-17 all-time including his time at Tennessee.

UK destroyed AU in their lone matchup a year ago, winning 86-54 inside Rupp Arena on Feb. 25, 2023. Oscar Tshiebwe led the way with 22 points and 17 rebounds, followed by Antonio Reeves with 21 and Cason Wallace with 19. Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome, the Tigers’ star frontcourt duo this season, combined for 25 points and five total rebounds on 9-24 shooting.

Kentucky at Auburn Odds via FanDuel

Spread: Auburn -8.5
Total: 163.5

Kentucky Projected Starters

(Starting lineup based on the last game)

#15 – DJ Wagner
6-4 • 192 • GUARD • FRESHMAN
11.2 PPG, 3.6 APG

#12 – Antonio Reeves
6-6 • 195 • GUARD • SENIOR
19.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG

#1 – Justin Edwards
6-8 • 203 • GUARD • FRESHMAN
8.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG

#4 – Tre Mitchell
6-9 • 231 • FORWARD • SENIOR
12.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.1 APG

#2 – Ugonna Onyenso
7-1 • 226 • FORWARD • FRESHMAN
4.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.7 BPG

Head Coach: John Calipari (32nd season, 15th at UK) – 849-260 overall, 404-120 at UK

Auburn Projected Starters

(Starting lineup based on the last game)

#3 – Tre Donaldson
6-3 • 200 • GUARD • SOPHOMORE
7.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 3.5 APG

#12 – Denver Jones
6-4 • 205 • GUARD • JUNIOR
7.7 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.4 APG

#5 – Chris Moore
6-6 • 220 • GUARD • SENIOR
2.2 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 1.7 SPG

#2 – Jaylin Williams
6-8 • 245 • FORWARD • GRAD SENIOR
13.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG

#4 – Johni Broome
6-10 • 240 • FORWARD • JUNIOR
16.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG

Head Coach: Bruce Pearl (10th season at Auburn, 29th overall): 655-261 overall, 193-116 at AU

Statistical Comparison

(via Kentucky’s game notes)

Fun stats from UK’s game notes:

• Kentucky has not played a complete game at full strength this season.
• A win would give the Cats their third over a ranked foe in 2023-24 and their third straight away from home
• Reed Sheppard is the only player in the country who has made 50 3-pointers, dished out 100 assists and snatched 50 steals. He ranks fourth in UK single-season history as a freshman with 60 steals and that mark is good for 24th among all UK players in its history.
• UK ranks fourth in the nation in blocks per game with an average of 6.4. Ugonna Onyenso has multiple blocks in 11 games and averages 3.2 swats to lead the way. He tied a Rupp Arena record of 10 rejections against Ole Miss, and it was the second-most by a UK player ever in any game.

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Pregame Storylines

WILL TRE MITCHELL PLAY?

Kentucky started its first game of the season at full strength against Ole Miss, but couldn’t finish it. Tre Mitchell returned following a two-game absence dealing with a back issue, but played just 21 minutes before a shoulder injury took him off the floor once again. Will he return at Auburn? Though it’s not expected to be a long-term concern, the turnaround against the Tigers is a tad ambitious and it’s safe to say his status is in doubt. Likely out, the Cats will have to lean on Ugonna Onyenso, Aaron Bradshaw and Zvonimir Ivisic to anchor the frontcourt against a team whose best two players are versatile post threats.

PREPARING FOR THE SPLASH BROS

Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams are stars for the Tigers, the former standing 6-10, 240 pounds and the latter coming in at 6-8, 245 pounds. They combine for 29.6 points and 13.3 rebounds while Broome shoots 55.4% overall and 38.5% from three and Williams knocks down 59% of his field-goal attempts to go with 42.6% from beyond the arc. They’re coming off a game where they combined for 44 points on a ridiculous 9-12 from three, giving themselves the nickname “Splash Bros” following the win. Considering Kentucky’s struggles with defense and physicality overall, the Cats will have their hands full.

BREAKING A HOME STREAK

Auburn is the only remaining unbeaten SEC team at home with a perfect 13-0 record inside Neville Arena and a 16-game home winning streak overall, good for the seventh longest in NCAA Division I. Kentucky marks the third straight ranked opponent the Tigers will face in a row at home, defeating both No. 16 Alabama and No. 11 South Carolina with a combined score of 200-142. The Cats, meanwhile, are 4-2 in true road games with wins at Louisville, Florida, Arkansas and Vanderbilt and losses at Texas A&M and South Carolina.

FORMER AAU TEAMMATES TURNED FOES

Aden Holloway has impressed to open his debut season at Auburn, averaging 8.2 points and 2.9 assists in 20.3 minutes per game for the Tigers. But did you know he and Rob Dillingham formed one of the most electric backcourts on the Nike EYBL circuit back in their AAU days? Suiting up for Team CP3 out of North Carolina, the blue-chip duo shined together in must-see fashion, dazzling fans with their scoring and playmaking abilities across several years. Now, they’re SEC rivals, Holloway the fourth-leading scorer on the Plains and Dillingham the second-leading scorer in Lexington. They’ll face off for the first time on Saturday.

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Rapid Reaction on the KSR YouTube Channel

Miss the game? KSR’s got you covered with a Rapid Reaction live from Auburn Arena on the KSR YouTube Channel. We’ll also have wall-to-wall postgame coverage on the website, including highlights, comments from John Calipari and the players, stats, and takeaways.

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