POINT SPREAD: Kentucky is a Home Underdog Against No. 1 Auburn

Do you hear that sound faintly off in the distance? That’s the sound of the underdog howling. The college basketball world expects the No. 1 team in the country to leave Rupp Arena with a win. Auburn hasn’t won in Lexington since Eddie Sutton was coaching the Cats. Does Kentucky have enough firepower to keep that streak alive and help bettors cash tickets?

The handicappers in Las Vegas have unveiled the opening line for Saturday’s showdown between Kentucky and Auburn, and the Cats open as a 5.5-point underdog. The total is 167.5. You can bet the Cats on the moneyline at +168.

Ranked second overall in KenPom, just behind Duke, the advanced stats are calling for the Tigers to win 86-81. Bart Torvik has the same score prediction, even if Auburn is ranked slightly lower at No. 3.

Bruce Pearl‘s squad has only two losses this season, falling to Florida and Duke. They are 16-11 Against the Spread (ATS) but have failed to cover in two of their last three. Over bettors have been cashing tickets on the Tigers, winners in seven of the last nine. As a road favorite in SEC play, Auburn is 3-3 ATS, but they’ve managed to win every one of those games outright.

The last time we saw Auburn on the hardwood, they were steamrolling Ole Miss. The Tigers shot nearly 60% from the field in a 106-76 victory. National Player of the Year frontrunner Johni Broome had 24 points and nine rebounds.

Kentucky is 15-13 ATS this season. The Cats have covered in three straight games at Rupp and are 5-2 ATS in home SEC games.

Kentucky got healthier this week. Lamont Butler had seven points, six assists, and four rebounds before fouling out with about five minutes to play. He should be good to go against Auburn. Things are more complicated for Jaxson Robinson. The shooting guard scored seven points on his injured right wrist in the first half, but after it failed to properly respond, he spent the second half icing it on the sideline. We’ll know more about his status when the SEC Availability Report is unveiled Friday night at 8:15 p.m. EST.

No. 17 Kentucky vs. No. 1 Auburn: How to Watch, Listen

• Date, Time: Saturday, 1:00 p.m. EST
• Television: ABC (Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas)
• Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• Online Radio: iHeart
• Satellite Radio: Sirius 84 or 191
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

You can also follow the game via our new LIVE BLOG on the website, which will begin an hour before tip-off, or join the conversation on KSBoard