AUBURN, Ala. – Since Sharife Cooper returned, Auburn has looked like a totally different team. In two games with Cooper, the Tigers are averaging 92.5 points per game. Through the first 11 games without Cooper, they scored 74.4 points per game.
The freshman point guard is leading the way with 54 points in his first two games, but he's also making everybody else on the court better. JT Thor has scored in double figures in each of the last two games. Devan Cambridge has scored in double figures in each of the last two games. In Wednesday's victory at Georgia, six Tigers scored 10 or more points.
But it will take an even better effort from Auburn on Saturday against Kentucky.
"We'll have to play our best game of the year to beat Kentucky," head coach Bruce Pearl said. "We're playing better. We're improving. We've still got a ways to go defensively, turning the basketball over, protecting our backboard – some of the things that Kentucky is really good at, we struggle with.
"They are the benchmark of our league. So people will measure you against how you perform against the best. That's how you should be measured. This game matters."
Historically, Kentucky has had the upper hand against Auburn, holding a 95-21 advantage in the all-time series, but the Tigers have more than held their own in recent years. Since the beginning of the 2015-16 season, Auburn is 4-4 against the Wildcats. That is the second-most wins by any SEC team vs. Kentucky in that span.
Last year, Samir Doughty scored 23 points to lead the Tigers to a 75-66 win in Auburn Arena. Two years ago, Auburn beat Kentucky in the Elite Eight to advance to the first Final Four in program history.
Saturday's matchup between the Tigers and the Wildcats will tip off at 1 p.m. CT from Auburn Arena. Andy Burcham 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 Karl Ravech and Jimmy Dykes on the call.
All persons inside Auburn Arena will be required to wear a face covering at all times and maintain appropriate social distancing. Visit the Men's Basketball Gameday page at AuburnTigers.com for more information.
Player to Watch: Sharife Cooper
Highly-touted freshman Sharife Cooper has been just as good, if not better, than advertised in his first two games. After boasting 26 points and nine assists in his debut vs. Alabama, Cooper had 28 points and 12 dimes at Georgia. In his first two career games, the Peach State native has scored or assisted on 100 of Auburn's 185 points (54.1 pct.) while the Tiges have score 90 and 95 points, respectively.
Inside the Series: Kentucky
The Tigers and Wildcats are slated to face off for the 117th time in series history Saturday afternoon. Kentucky holds a 95-21 advantage overall, but the two teams have split the previous eight meetings.
Auburn has defeated Kentucky in each of the last three seasons, winning at home on Feb. 14, 2018 and Feb. 1, 2020, and winning the only neutral-court game with a victory in the Elite Eight on March 31, 2019. The Tigers have defeated the Wildcats in four consecutive seasons just one time in program history, doing so from 1987-90.
Under head coach Bruce Pearl, Auburn is 4-6 against Kentucky. The Tigers' four victories vs. the Wildcats since 2015 is second in the SEC trailing only Tennessee's seven. In total, Pearl is 7-16 in his career vs. Kentucky, which includes a 3-1 mark inside Auburn Arena. Auburn and Tennessee have combined for 11 wins vs. Kentucky since 2015 while the rest of the 11 teams in the SEC have combined for 13 wins.
Coming into His Own
JT Thor has taken a big step forward in his game as of late. Over the last four games, the Alaska native has averaged 11.3 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting at a 55.6 percent clip (15-of-27). On defense in those games, Thor has five steals and four blocks.
In the previous eight games - the first eight of his Auburn career - Thor averaged 7.6 points and 2.9 boards per contest and shot 42.2 percent from the floor (19-of-45) while contributing six steals and five blocks.
A 5-star in the class of 2021, Thor should still be in high school as a senior at Norcross (Ga.) High School but decided to reclassify and join Auburn last summer.
Cashing in from the Charity Stripe
Auburn has shot 58-of-72 (80.6 percent) from the free-throw line over the last four games, compared to 125-of-206 (60.7 percent) in the first nine games. Five different players are shooting 70 percent or better at the charity stripe – Sharife Cooper (86.4), Justin Powell (76.5), Allen Flanigan (74.4), Jamal Johnson (71.4) and JT Thor (70.2).
SEC showdown: Tigers battle Kentucky in Auburn Arena
