Auburn Set to Take on Kentucky in Top-25 Matchup

The No. 13 Auburn Tigers will face a test in a highly anticipated SEC matchup against the No. 22 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday.

Auburn (20-5, 9-3 SEC) is tied for second in the SEC with South Carolina. Kentucky (17-7, 7-4 SEC) is tied for fifth with Florida.

Auburn is coming off of a big win on Wednesday over No. 11 South Carolina. The Tigers defeated the Gamecocks 101-64, snapping their seven-game win streak.

Flyin' High 🦅 pic.twitter.com/fE8togjivr

— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) February 15, 2024

Kentucky is looking to hand Auburn its first home loss of the season and are coming off of a 75-63 win over Ole Miss on Tuesday.

Matchup Keys

The Auburn forwards have been dominating opponents all season and lead the team in scoring and rebounding.

Johni Broome leads the Tigers, averaging 16.2 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game. Broome has scored in double figures in the past 16 games.

The Tigers forward is coming off of a dominating performance against South Carolina. He recorded 21 points and hit four 3-pointers.

Additionally, Jaylin Williams had 23 points and converted five 3’s.

Pearl discussed the challenges with Kentucky’s size, athleticism and how they play.

Kentucky has three guards leading the team and two of them are freshman.

Senior guard Antonio Reeves has been explosive for the Wildcats this season, averaging 19.4 points per game. Freshman Rob Dillingham comes in behind Reeves with 14.8 points per game. A surprising part of this team has been the 12.4 points and 4.2 assists per game from freshman Reed Shepard.

The Wildcats also see action from forwards Tre Mitchell and Aaron Bradshaw, who will have their hands full with Broome and Williams.

However, in the game against Ole Miss, Mitchell sat in the second half with a shoulder injury.

Without Mitchell, this Wildcats team could struggle physically in the post and with rebounds.

History in the Making

Auburn Head Coach Bruce Pearl discussed the elite opportunity to play Kentucky on Saturday as they try to make history.

The Tigers have already made history this past week with their 40-point win over No. 11 South Carolina. It marks the largest win margin over a ranked opponent in program history.

Rivalry Intensity

The Auburn and Kentucky matchup brings tension and elite fandom.

In the past 10 matchups, these teams have split the series.

Still a couple of days before we're live from Auburn and fans are already camping out 👏 pic.twitter.com/ZqPYGiBIMJ

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) February 15, 2024

Bruce Pearl shared his excitement for the students and fans to experience a game like this and how the team has prepared for major games.

Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. Saturday.