AUBURN, Ala. – After winning its last two Southeastern Conference games, No. 14 Auburn is set to welcome No. 12 Kentucky in front of a sellout crowd in Auburn Arena Saturday afternoon.
Even though it's only the fourth game of the 18-game league schedule, the Tigers know the importance of the tilt with the Wildcats.
"We have a lot to prove and a long way to go," head coach Bruce Pearl said. "I'm really proud of the situation that this team has put themselves into. I think our guys are looking at the opportunity to make history. For Jared Harper, Bryce Brown and Horace Spencer, guys that have been here a few years, only one Auburn team has won three straight at home against Kentucky."
After winning their battles in 2016 and 2018 inside Auburn Arena, the Tigers will look to accomplish a three-game home winning streak against the Wildcats for just the second time in program history. The only time that has been accomplished was 1974-76.
"We're going to have a lot of energy from our fans and a lot of energy from our team," junior Jared Harper said. "This is a big game for us coming home after a good win at Texas A&M, so we're getting into our flow of playing our best basketball. It'll be a big game."
Saturday's game is slated to tip at 3 p.m. CT. Rod Bramblett and Sonny Smith will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the TuneIn app. The game will also be televised on ESPN with Bob Wischusen, Dick Vitale and Allison Williams on the call.
Player to watch: Chuma Okeke
In his second season with the Tigers, Chuma Okeke leads the team with a plus-minus of plus-243 (plus-15.2 per game). In Auburn's 13 wins this season, Okeke has been a big factor contributing 10.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 54 percent from the floor, including 36 percent from downtown and 71 percent from the charity stripe.
Inside the series: Kentucky
Auburn trails Kentucky 92-19 all-time, but the Tigers have won two of the last three against the Wildcats. The two teams have played once each of the last three years with the home team winning all three games. Auburn won 75-70 in 2016 and 76-66 last season, while Kentucky earned a 92-72 victory in 2017. Prior to the last three games, Kentucky had won 18 straight and 32 of the last 33 in the series. The two teams will play twice during the regular season for the first time since the 2012-13 season. Prior to that, they had not faced each other twice in the regular season since doing so for 27 consecutive seasons from 1965-91.
Second top-15 matchup of 2018-19
Auburn is playing in its second top-15 matchup of the season. The eighth-ranked Tigers lost 78-72 to top-ranked Duke in the Maui Invitational semifinals. This season is the fourth time in program history Auburn has played in at least two top-15 matchups in a season.
Balanced scoring
Auburn is second in the SEC averaging 84.5 points per game because of a balanced attack that has six Tigers averaging at least 8.4 points per game including Bryce Brown (16.2), Jared Harper (15.1), Austin Wiley (10.8), Chuma Okeke (9.9), Samir Doughty (8.6) and Malik Dunbar (8.4). Six times this season Auburn has had at least five players score in double figures. Nine different Tigers have scored in double figures at least once this season. Auburn has topped the 80-point plateau in 10 of 16 games, plus AU has surpassed the 90-point mark six times and has scored 100-plus twice. The Tigers are 10-0 when scoring at least 80 points.
Battle-tested Tigers ready for top-15 showdown vs. Kentucky
