Somebody will be in a tough spot once things wrap up tonight on the Plains, Kentucky taking on Auburn inside Neville Arena and looking to end its own two-game losing streak while the Tigers are desperate to end their five-game skid. KSR will be there to see things play out one way or the other, making the seven-hour drive down to enemy territory as we speak to soak in one of the best road environments in the SEC.
What do you need to know about the late-night matchup in The Jungle?
Kentucky vs. Auburn: How to Watch, Listen
- Tipoff: Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN (Tom Hart, Jimmy Dykes)
- Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
- AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
- FM: 98.1 WBUL
- Online: iHeart Radio
- Sirius XM: 117 or 191
You can also follow along on the KSR LIVE BLOG, which will start a few hours before tipoff, and join the conversation on KSBoard.
Denzel Aberdeen added to the injury report
There haven’t been any surprises on the SEC Availability Reports since Kam Williams went down with a broken foot against Texas on January 21. He, along with Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaintance, has been declared out ahead of all seven games since — the only players listed for a month. That changed late Friday night when Denzel Aberdeen was added to the report, listed as probable. He’s averaging 13.5 points and 3.2 assists per game during SEC play as Kentucky’s lead guard.
Williams, Lowe and Quaintance remain out while Auburn center Emeka Opurum, who has not appeared in a game since November 26, is also out. No other players are on the report for the Tigers.
The need for Aberdeen to give it a go is obvious — Kentucky has essentially no depth in the backcourt with Jasper Johnson the only other guard off the bench. If he’s not 100 percent, Mark Pope is gonna have to get creative.
Cats are underdogs on the Plains
With both teams riding into this one on losing streaks, the oddsmakers are favoring the home team, Kentucky traveling to Auburn as a 3.5-point underdog with the over/under set at 157.5 points. Those odds are courtesy of our friends at BetMGM.
The computers agree, as KenPom is calling for an 81-78 win for the Tigers while BartTorvik gives Auburn a projected 82-77 victory. ESPN Analytics is also giving the edge to Steven Pearl’s team with a 58.7 percent chance to pull out the win.
Mark Pope previews Auburn
The Tigers are beatable, obviously, but they’re the favorites for a reason. Sitting just three spots behind the Wildcats in the NET with Keyshawn Hall back in the lineup as a top-five scorer in the league (21.0 PPG) and plenty of talent elsewhere in Tahaad Pettiford (15.0 PPG), Kevin Overton (12.3 PPG) and KeShawn Murphy (10.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG).
Pope knows this will be a challenge for his group, dismissing the five-game losing streak for AU and focusing on the big picture of a resume that includes four Quad 1 wins.
“They got their best player back. They’re really good at home. I think they’re a terrific team, they’ve knocked off the best teams in our league — Florida on the road, beat Arkansas,” he said this week. “They’re one of those teams that’s really, really, really good when they’re at their best, and then they’ve had some struggles, like a lot of teams in our league. So they’re talented, they’re skilled. … They’re a good team, they’re well-coached.
“It’s gonna be a great challenge in a great environment. It’ll be a big-time environment.”
Steven Pearl previews Kentucky
How does the other side feel entering this one? The Tigers have lost five straight, but you wouldn’t know it by being around the players ahead of the Kentucky matchup. They’ve responded well to the 91-85 road loss at Mississippi State and feel they’re in the right headspace to get back in the win column.
“This has been a resilient group and we had a great practice yesterday,” Pearl said. “You’re in the building — the energy was like we have won five in a row. So it’s commendable and I think they have done a good job of just kind of blocking out the noise and we’ve done a good job of just trying to stay present in what we’re doing and recognizing that there are a lot of things that we got to get better at.
“… The things that I say, it’s not just lip service. I think they believe it too. They believe that they’re capable of making a run. That’s where I think that energy comes from.”
SEC Weekend Schedule
We’re entering crunch time when it comes to the SEC race and postseason seeding, Kentucky going into Saturday tied for fifth but technically eighth overall in that grouping of 8-5 teams in the league, thanks to tiebreakers. Things will swing back and forth and up and down over the next two weeks, today’s schedule a big one.
If you want the Wildcats to earn a double-bye, root for Tennessee, Texas, Arkansas, Ole Miss, LSU and Oklahoma.
| Time (ET) | Matchup | TV/Streaming | KenPom Projections |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 PM | #12 Florida at Ole Miss | ESPN | Florida -12 (87%) |
| 1:00 PM | Mississippi State at South Carolina | SEC Network | South Carolina -1 (56%) |
| 2:00 PM | Tennessee at #19 Vanderbilt | ESPN | Vanderbilt -4 (64%) |
| 3:30 PM | Texas at Georgia | SEC Network | Georgia -2 (55%) |
| 4:00 PM | Missouri at #20 Arkansas | ESPN | Arkansas -12 (86%) |
| 6:00 PM | #25 Alabama at LSU | SEC Network | Alabama -5 (68%) |
| 8:30 PM | Kentucky at Auburn | ESPN | Auburn -3 (62%) |
| 8:30 PM | Texas A&M at Oklahoma | SEC Network | Texas A&M -1 (51%) |
As for the rest of the college basketball schedule, there are some massive matchups to keep an eye on, too:
- No. 2 Houston vs. No. 4 Arizona – 3 PM ET (ABC)
- No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 3 Duke – 6:30 PM ET (ESPN)
- No. 23 BYU vs. No. 6 Iowa State – 10:30 PM ET (ESPN)
Big day, folks. Keep your head on a swivel.
Bat Cats win game one vs. Evansville, prepare for Saturday doubleheader
Basketball is certainly the focus today, but don’t forget about the Bat Cats, either. After falling to Morehead State in the home opener, they responded with a road win to open their series at Evansville, cruising to a 9-2 victory to move to 4-1 on the year. Right-handed pitcher Jaxon Jelkin did his thing on the mound while Jayce Tharnish and Ryan Schwartz hit homers to earn the easy dub.
On deck? An afternoon doubleheader — just what the doctor ordered to get you to the late-night tipoff on the Plains. The Wildcats will take on the Purple Aces in game one at 1 PM ET, followed by the series finale 45 minutes after the first matchup wraps up. It’ll be radio-only today, unfortunately, live on the UK Sports Network with no ESPN+ feed. Live stats can be found here, though, with plenty of KSR coverage to come. Live updates will be posted in KSBoard’s series thread.
That’s all for now, folks. Go Big Blue. Beat Auburn. Beat Evansville.