AUBURN, Ala. – With a share of the SEC championship on the line and the opportunity to earn an elusive victory at Rupp Arena after decades of defeats, No. 1 Auburn knows Saturday’s stakes could scarcely be higher.
“They’ve always been great and we’ve usually been not great,” said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, noting the Tigers’ 2-31 record at Rupp Arena and 2-51 all-time mark vs. Kentucky in games played in Lexington. “That’s why it’s 2-31. I’ve brought some really good Auburn and Tennessee teams up to Rupp and not won.”
For all of Auburn’s advantages at Neville Arena, the Tigers have successfully taken their show on the road as well, the only unbeaten (7-0) team in SEC away games this season.
“We have not lost on the road in the SEC. It’s almost March,” Pearl said. “It’s been said that we can’t win away from Neville. I’m so proud of our home-court advantage at Neville, but that’s just not true. It’s certainly not true this year and it hasn’t been true for the last several years.”
To have a chance to make history, Auburn will need to slow the Wildcats’ prolific offense.
“They average 91 points a game at home,” Pearl said. “How many less can we hold Kentucky to, to have a chance to win? They average 19 and a half assists at home. They shoot 40 percent from 3. They make over 10 a game at home.”
The Wildcats are 14-2 at Rupp Arena this season, with losses to No. 6 Alabama and Arkansas, two teams Auburn has defeated this season. On the other hand, Kentucky has beaten Duke and Florida, the two teams that account for Auburn’s two losses.
Kentucky guard Lamont Butler returned this week after missing two weeks with an injury.
“He and Denver Jones are the two best defensive guards in our league,” Pearl said. “That’s going to be an incredible matchup.”
“This will be my first time playing at Rupp,” Jones said. “I’ve always seen it on TV, but I can’t wait to go in there, execute the game plan and keep making history with this team. Our defense dictates our game. When we’re really locked in on defense, it’s really hard for a team to beat us.”
National player of the year frontrunner Johni Broome continues to lead Auburn in scoring (18.8), rebounding (11) and assists (3.4), shooting 60 percent from the field in his past two games.
“His upside is our upside,” Pearl said. “When he plays like this, we get to a different level.”
Seeking its first Rupp Arena win since 1988, No. 1 Auburn (26-2, 14-1) takes on No. 17 Kentucky (19-9, 8-7) Saturday at noon CT on ABC. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will deliver play-by-play and analysis to listeners on the Auburn Sports Network.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer