Kentucky Visits Auburn in Top 25 Showdown

The No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats and No. 14 Auburn Tigers will go head to head in Auburn this weekend, with the winner looking to make a statement in the SEC.

Auburn Tigers

The 13-3 Auburn Tigers have proven to be dominant on their home court this season. The Tigers are currently 12-1 against visiting opponents with their sole home loss to No.1 Duke.

Auburn is looking to jump ahead in the SEC standings with a victory over Kentucky this Saturday. Auburn is currently seeded 6th in the SEC with an overall 2-1 record against conference opponents.

The Tigers offense is led by two experienced guards in Bryce Brown and Jared Harper. Brown leads the Tigers’ offense with an average of 16.2 points per game.

Bryce Brown heat check: 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/En5SM5zQQo

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 17, 2019

Furthermore, in Auburn’s most recent match-up against Texas A&M, Brown scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half and shot 7-16 from the field. The Auburn offense has the ability to shoot efficiently from the three-point line and should prove to test Kentucky’s defense.

Kentucky Wildcats

The Kentucky Wildcats have proved that they are far from the team that started the season with a blow-out loss to Duke. The Cats struggled early in the season but have since found their footing.

Kentucky’s impressive 80-72 victory over North Carolina proved to be the game where the Cats’ offense clicked. Late in the first half, Kentucky established a lead that they would maintain for the rest of the game.

Freshman guard Ashton Hagans has established himself as an offensive leader. Since joining the starting line-up against North Carolina, Hagans has led the team in each of their last five games.

.@H23Ash's last five games …

🔥 15.8 points per game
🔥 4.4 assists per game
🔥 3.6 steals per game
🔥 3.0 rebounds per game
🔥 .556 FG percentage pic.twitter.com/nmh7fsM3zI

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) January 16, 2019

The Cats have overcome the lack of team chemistry that they experienced early in the season and have established a dynamic offense. Auburn and Kentucky are pretty equally matched in terms of offensive ability. However, the home court may prove to be an advantage for the Tigers.

How to Watch

The game starts at 4 p.m. on Saturday and you can catch it on ESPN.