AUBURN, Ala. – Had you walked up to Neville Arena on Friday afternoon, you would have seen the ESPN College GameDay bus parked outside one entrance. You would have seen the tents set up outside the other entrance with students camping out, some arriving as early as Wednesday night following the South Carolina game.
Next Game:
vs. No. 22 Kentucky
Feb. 17, 2024
5 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
"It's just like any other Friday afternoon on the Plains," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl joked. "Jay Bilas is on the main floor. There are a thousand kids camping out in Jungle Village. You can feel the energy on campus."
That energy is in anticipation for Saturday.
Not only is Pearl's 13th-ranked Auburn team hosting No. 22 Kentucky in primetime, but ESPN's College GameDay is on campus for the third straight year and the fourth time in the last five years.
Senior Jaylin Williams, now in his fifth season, has been at Auburn all four times College GameDay has visited campus. It still doesn't get old.
"It's all been amazing," Williams said. "This is stuff you dream about as a kid. Living in the moment, I never realize how crazy it is. But College GameDay. These guys have seen a lot of good players in their life, and they're here to watch me and my teammates play. I feel like that's pretty special."
The game itself will be a battle. Kentucky is one of the best offensive teams in the country with five players scoring in double figures this season. Auburn has won every game by double digits and comes in as the SEC's highest-ranked team in the KenPom rankings.
But the Tigers have risen to the challenge at home time and time again this season.
"You hear the phrase, 'ready to play.' You want to come 'ready to play.' Ready to play isn't good enough in this game," Bilas said. "It's just not. I think you have to be ready to fight in this game. Fight for loose balls. Fight for position. Fight for rebounds. Fight defensively. It's a fight, and that's a mentality that Auburn has all the time.
"I think other teams are trying to develop that, but at the opening tap if you're not ready for a fist fight and you're just 'ready to play,' I don't think that's good enough."
Auburn and Kentucky will tip off at 5 p.m. CT from Neville Arena. Andy Burcham and Sonny Smith will have the radio call on 94.3 FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the Auburn app. The game will be televised on ESPN with Dan Shulman and Bilas on the call.
Saturday's game is also Auburn's annual AUTLIVE game. See full details below.
PLAYER TO WATCH: JAYLIN WILLIAMS
Graduate senior Jaylin Williams has flourished at Neville Arena during conference play. In six SEC home games, Williams is averaging 19.0 points per game and is shooting 76.0 percent from the field and 68.4 percent from deep (13-of-19).
In Auburn's nine SEC wins this season, Williams has led the Tigers with 18.0 points per game while shooting 70.9 percent from the field. He scored a team-high 23 points in a 40-point win over South Carolina on Wednesday to move into 25th place on the program's career points list with 1,217. He's 12 points shy of passing Wes Flanigan for 24th.
INSIDE THE SERIES: KENTUCKY
This will be the 121st all-time meeting between Auburn and Kentucky. Kentucky leads Auburn 97-23 all-time and is 31-18 in games played on the Plains and 5-4 in Neville Arena. However, the Tigers are 4-3 in the last seven games against Kentucky and 5-1 in the series' last six games played in Neville Arena, including an 80-71 win two years ago. Prior to last season, the previous six games in the series had been decided by nine points or less.
LEAVING NO DOUBT
With Wednesday's 101-61 win over No. 11 South Carolina, Auburn leads the SEC with 11 wins of at least 20 points this season. The Tigers are tied with Tennessee for the most 20-point wins in league play with four, which includes three of their last four home games (No. 22 Ole Miss, 82-59; Vanderbilt, 81-54; No. 11 South Carolina, 101-61).
Auburn's 11 20-point wins this season are the second-most in a season in program history behind 14 20-point wins during the 1998-99 campaign. All 20 of Auburn's victories this season have been by double digits, tying the 2021-22 team for second-most in Auburn history. The 1998-99 team has the most double-digit wins in a season with 26.
THE 20-WIN BENCHMARK
Auburn secured its 15th 20-win season in the program's 118-year history and the sixth 20-win season in the last seven seasons under head coach Bruce Pearl when it defeated No. 11 South Carolina on Wednesday. This year's Auburn team reached the 20 wins in 25 games, becoming the eighth-fastest team to achieve the milestone.
AUTLIVE
The Bruce Pearl Family Foundation is continuing the fight against cancer with the 10th year of AUTLIVE, Auburn basketball's fight against cancer. The best way to beat cancer is to detect it early and be able to fight it on your home court.
AUTLIVE raises the awareness of cancer prevention and detection while t-shirt sales and donations raise money to benefit cancer patients and their local hospitals. Both teams and game officials will hold up placards before tipoff in memory of loved ones, friends and colleagues, who are still fighting or have lost their battle with cancer.
For the third year, prostate cancer screenings will take place on the concourse of Neville Arena before and during the game for men who wish to be tested.
Visit AUTLIVE.com for more information or to donate to the cause.