KSR Gameday: Kentucky hosts Auburn in Rupp Arena
Good morning, folks! It’s Saturday once again, which means we’ve got some Kentucky men’s basketball to enjoy. Later this afternoon, the Wildcats (19-9; 10-5 SEC) will go head-to-head for the only time this season against Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers (19-9; 9-6 SEC) inside of Rupp Arena.
Auburn is searching for its first win at Rupp since the ’80s, as the program is just 2-30 in that building (and 2-50 all-time when playing UK in Lexington) with the most recent win coming all the way back in 1988. Meanwhile, Pearl is hunting for just his second win ever at Rupp and the first since he was the head coach at Tennessee during the 2005-06 season.
Kentucky will certainly have its hands full with Auburn, as the Tigers are just one game back of the Cats in the SEC standings. But Auburn has also lost four of its last six games and only beat Ole Miss (the worst team in the SEC, record-wise) by four in its last outing. Regardless, the Tigers come to Rupp Arena as a borderline Quad 1 opponent, sitting at No. 33 in the NET. Auburn is currently projected as a possible nine-seed in the NCAA Tournament, while Kentucky is comfortably back in the field and would all but lock up a spot in the field of 68 with a win this afternoon.
Kentucky’s Team Sheet – Feb. 25
- Quad 1: 5-7 (1 game left – at Arkansas)
- Quad 2: 5-0 (1 game left – vs. Auburn)
- Quad 3: 3-1 (1 game left – vs. Vanderbilt)
- Quad 4: 6-1 (0 games left)
The main storyline for Kentucky heading into this matchup is once again the injury statuses of guards CJ Fredrick (rib) and Sahvir Wheeler (ankle). Neither player has been ruled out just yet, but both have sat out the last couple of weeks and there is no word on whether they’ll be good to go against Auburn. That being said, KSR learned earlier in the week that the plan is for Frederick to try and give it a go today. So keep that in mind. We’ll know more once we inch closer to tipoff.
Today will also be a homecoming of sorts for Auburn’s two best players. Wendell Green (13.9 points, 4.3 assists per game) and Johni Broome (14.1 points, 8.9 rebounds per game) will return to the Bluegrass after spending their early college days in eastern Kentucky.
Green, a Detroit native that attended La Lumiere School, started his career at Eastern Kentucky. The high-flying point guard excelled in A.W. Hamilton’s fast-paced system, shooting better than 36% from three and scoring 15.8 points per game. Meanwhile, Broome was a double-double machine in two seasons at Morehead State. He finished in the top 25 nationally last year, tallying 23 double-doubles while averaging 16 points and 10.5 boards a game. He also set Morehead State’s single-season block record with 131 swatted shots.
How to Watch, Listen
The March Madness music will be ringing through the ears of the Big Blue Nation for the nationally televised broadcast on CBS. Here’s how to watch, listen, etc.:
- Time: 4 p.m. ET
- Location: Rupp Arena (Lexington)
- TV: CBS (Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner)
- Stream: CBS Sport app
- Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Jack Givens), 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio
- Satellite: Sirius 381, SXM App 971
The KSR Pregame Show will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET live from KSBar and Grille. Join the guys or tune into 630 WLAP on iHeart Radio to hear all of the action.
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Vegas, Computers
After opening as a 3.5-point favorite against Auburn, Kentucky has been slightly bet up. As of this morning, The Action Network has the Cats as a 4-point favorite heading into the afternoon tipoff. The over/under has been set at 142.5.
Auburn is on a bit of a late-season skid. They’ve lost six of their last nine games entering a final stretch at Kentucky, at Alabama and vs. Tennessee. The Tigers are 13-15 ATS and have failed to cover in four of their last five games.
Meanwhile, Kentucky is trending in the opposite direction. The Wildcats have won and covered the spread in three straight games. Kentucky is in the middle of an offensive surge. They have the third-most efficient offense in college basketball over the last 10 games, a big reason why the over has hit seven of their last eight.
Looking at the computers, Kentucky is still favored to come out on top over the Tigers. ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives UK a 66.1 percent chance at the win, KenPom is slightly lower with a 59 percent chance (projected score of 72-70), while BartTorvik gives the Cats a 55 percent chance at the victory (projected score of 71-70).
Statistical comparison
Lance Ware, Adou Thiero prep us for Auburn
To get us ready for today’s action, a pair of Wildcats spoke with the media on Friday to give their thoughts on the current happenings of the program. Junior forward Lance Ware and freshman guard Adou Thiero talked with reporters to discuss their roles on the team at this stage in the season, next week’s Senior Day festivities, what they know about Auburn, and much more.
- Lance Ware embracing his role as Kentucky’s leader: “I’m just a basketball junkie”
- Adou Thiero trusts the process: “It’s a marathon, not a sprint”
- Tshiebwe, Toppin, Fredrick among those participating in Senior Day: “It’ll be emotional”
Updated SEC standings
| TEAM | CONFERENCE | GAMES BACK | OVERALL |
| Alabama | 14-1 | — | 24-4 |
| Texas A&M | 13-2 | 1 | 21-7 |
| Kentucky | 10-5 | 4 | 19-9 |
| Tennessee | 9-6 | 5 | 20-8 |
| Auburn | 9-6 | 5 | 19-9 |
| Missouri | 8-7 | 6 | 20-8 |
| Arkansas | 8-7 | 6 | 19-9 |
| Vanderbilt | 8-7 | 6 | 15-13 |
| Florida | 7-8 | 7 | 14-14 |
| Mississippi State | 6-9 | 8 | 18-10 |
| Georgia | 6-9 | 8 | 16-12 |
| South Carolina | 3-12 | 11 | 10-18 |
| LSU | 2-13 | 12 | 13-15 |
| Ole Miss | 2-13 | 12 | 10-18 |
College Basketball on TV today
| TIME | AWAY | HOME | TV |
| 12:00 | No. 18 UConn | St. John’s | CBS |
| 12:00 | No. 19 Creighton | Villanova | FOX |
| 12:00 | Oklahoma | No. 23 Iowa State | ESPNU |
| 12:00 | No. 24 TCU | Texas Tech | ESPN2 |
| 2:00 | Arkansas | No. 2 Alabama | ESPN2 |
| 2:00 | Arizona State | No. 7 Arizona | CBS |
| 2:00 | No. 8 Texas | No. 9 Baylor | ESPN |
| 2:00 | No. 14 Kansas State | Oklahoma State | ESPNU |
| 3:30 | No. 25 Texas A&M | Mississippi State | SECN |
| 4:00 | Auburn | Kentucky | CBS |
| 4:00 | West Virginia | No. 3 Kansas | ESPN |
| 4:00 | Florida State | No. 13 Miami (FL) | ESPN2 |
| 6:00 | No. 6 Virginia | North Carolina | ESPN |
| 6:00 | South Carolina | No. 11 Tennessee | SECN |
| 7:30 | No. 17 Indiana | No. 5 Purdue | FOX |
| 7:30 | DePaul | No. 10 Marquette | FS1 |
| 8:00 | No. 1 Houston | East Carolina | ESPN2 |
| 10:00 | No. 15 Saint Mary’s | No. 12 Gonzaga | ESPN |
| 10:00 | No. 22 San Diego State | New Mexico | CBSSN |
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