Auburn Daily

No. 1 Auburn Tigers vs. No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats Preview, How to Watch

The No. 1 Auburn Tigers hit the road to face the No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday afternoon in an SEC showdown.

Auburn Daily Staff

Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome will attempt to solidify his player of the year credentials against the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday.
Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome will attempt to solidify his player of the year credentials against the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. / Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK
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No. 1 Auburn Tigers (26-2, 14-1 SEC) vs. No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats (19-9, 8-7 SEC)
March 1, 2025 at Noon (CT) / 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Rupp Arena (20,500) | Lexington, Ky.

Television: ABC
Play-By-Play: Dan Shulman
Color Analyst: Jay Bilas
Sideline Reporter: Jess Sims

Radio: Auburn Sports Network
Play-By-Play: Andy Burcham
Color Analyst: Randall Dickey

» With three games remaining on its regular-season slate, No. 1 Auburn (26-2, 14-1 SEC) travels to Lexington, Ky., to take on No. 17 Kentucky on Saturday at Rupp Arena on ABC.

» Auburn is appearing on ABC for just the fourth time in program history and the first time since facing No. 4 Arkansas (W, 104-90) in 1995. The Tigers faced No. 3 UNLV in 1987 and No. 7 Kentucky in 1994.

» The Tigers became the first team to clinch a double bye in the SEC Tournament on Wednesday night.

» Auburn (14-1) is two games ahead of second-place Alabama (12-3) and three ahead of third-place Florida (11-4) in the latest SEC standings. The Tigers could clinch at least a share of the SEC regular-season title with a win or an Alabama loss at No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday, which would be the fifth in program history (1960, 1999, 2018 and 2022). A Tiger victory and a loss by the Crimson Tide would secure the outright title for Auburn.

» With a win, Auburn can match the 2021-22 Tigers for the most SEC wins in program history (15) and the most regular-season wins (27).

» Auburn is looking to extend its program record SEC-road winning streak to nine games and remain the only unbeaten team on the road in SEC play this season.

» Auburn defeated Ole Miss, 106-76, on Wednesday night in the first of four Quad 1 games to end the regular season. The Tigers boast the third toughest stretch to close out the regular season among league opponents behind Alabama (vs. No. 24 Mississippi State, at No. 5 Tennessee, vs. No. 3 Florida and at No. 1 Auburn) and Ole Miss (at No. 1 Auburn, vs. Oklahoma, vs. No. 5 Tennessee and at No. 3 Florida).

» AU is ranked No. 1 in this week’s Associated Press and ESPN Coaches polls. It is the seventh-straight week the Tigers have been No. 1 in the AP Poll. Auburn is now one of only two SEC teams to ever be ranked first for at least six-straight weeks in the AP Poll, joining Kentucky.

» The Tigers have been ranked for 30-consecutive weeks, which is the seventh-longest active streak in the country and tied for the second-longest streak in program history. Four of Auburn’s five longest ranked streaks in program history have come since January 2018. Saturday’s game is the 52nd-straight game the Tigers have played as a ranked team.

A LOOK AT THE WILDCATS

» Kentucky ranks third in the country in scoring offense averaging 85.6 points per game. The Wildcats are the fourth team Auburn has played currently ranked in the Top 10 nationally in scoring offense – Alabama (1st), Kentucky (3rd), Missouri (7th) and Florida (10th).

» UK has five players averaging double figures led by junior guard Otega Oweh with 16.1 points per game including 28 points and the game-winner at Oklahoma on Wednesday night.

» Kentucky is 26th nationally draining 9.9 three-pointers in the country and 27th shooting at a 37.6 clip from long range this season.

» The Wildcats are 14-2 at Rupp Arena – both home losses in SEC play against Alabama and Arkansas.

» Kentucky owns wins over both teams that beat Auburn this season. The Wildcats beat then No. 6 Duke, 77-72, in the Champions Classic in Atlanta and defeated then No. 6 Florida, 106-100, in the SEC opener at Rupp Arena.

» UK, which enters Saturday's game having won four of its last six, has seven Top 15 wins this season.

»The Wildcats are tied for seventh in the SEC standings with Mississippi State at 8-7.

SERIES NOTES

» This is the 122nd all-time meeting between Auburn and Kentucky. The two teams have split the last eight games in the series.

» Auburn is 5-2 in the series’ last seven games played at Neville Arena including winning three-straight home games against Kentucky prior to last season. The Wildcats defeated the Tigers 70-59 in Neville Arena last season. Auburn knocked off Kentucky 77-71 in overtime in the 2019 Midwest Regional Final to advance to the first Final Four in program history.

» Kentucky holds a 98-23 advantage in the all-time series with Auburn including 32-18 in games played on the Plains and 6-4 at Neville Arena. However, the Wildcats lead 51-2 all-time in Lexington (31-2 at Rupp Arena) including 20-straight home victories in the series since the Tigers edged the top-ranked Wildcats on a John Caylor 3-pointer in the final seconds, 53-52, on Jan. 9, 1988.

» It is the Tigers’ longest road drought (37 years) in SEC play ahead of at Florida (29 years).

» Auburn’s only other win at Kentucky was a 75-67 triumph over the sixth-ranked Wildcats on Jan. 15, 1983. Both of AU’s wins at UK came under the direction of former head coach Sonny Smith.

AUBURN-KENTUCKY SERIES (Last Eight Games)

Mar. 31, 2019 N W, 77-71 (OT)
Feb. 1, 2020 H W, 75-66
Feb. 29, 2020 A L, 66-73
Jan. 16, 2021 H W, 66-59
Feb. 13, 2021 A L, 80-82
Feb. 22, 2022 H W, 80-71
Feb. 25, 2023 A L, 54-86
Feb. 17, 2024 H L, 59-70

COACHING SIDEBARS

» Bruce Pearl is 10-18 coaching against Kentucky in his career including 6-9 coaching Auburn. Pearl is 5-2 against the Wildcats at Neville Arena, 0-6 at Rupp Arena and 1-1 at neutral sites during his time on the Plains.

» With a win on Saturday, Pearl would tie Sonny Smith for the most wins against Kentucky by an Auburn head coach all-time with seven. Other Tiger head coaches who have defeated the Wildcats include: Bob Davis (3), Bill Lynn (3), Joel Eaves (2), Tommy Joe Eagles (1) and Cliff Ellis (1).

» At Tennessee, Pearl went 3-3 vs. Kentucky in Knoxville, 1-5 in Lexington and 0-1 at neutral sites.

» Saturday’s contest is the first meeting between Bruce Pearl and first-year Kentucky head coach Mark Pope.

WHAT 2 WATCH 4

» Mr. Auburn Dylan Cardwell is one win away from becoming the all-time winningest player in program history (currently tied with former teammate Jaylin Williams – 114).

» Cardwell is one of two players on the squad who remained loyal and played all five years of his career at Auburn next to graduate senior forward Chris Moore.

» He currently leads the team with a 66.7 field-goal percentage and is second on the team with 45 blocks. Cardwell is also averaging 4.9 rebounds per game and is one of two players to play and start in all 28 games of the season.

PLAYER TO WATCH: JOHNI BROOME

» With his 24-point effort against Ole Miss on Wednesday, Johni Broome became the 86th player in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history to eclipse 2,500 career points in his Morehead State and Auburn career combined. He is 10 boards shy of 1,500 career rebounds.

» Broome recorded his 77th career double-double tallying a game-and Auburn career-high 31 points and 14 rebounds along with four assists and two blocks against UGA on Feb. 22. It was his 17th double-double of the season including eight in 12 league games. In addition, it marked his third game of at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in his three seasons on the Plains.

» Broome is the only player to reach those totals versus a NCAA Division I team this season and one of only two SEC players with that many points, rebounds and assists in a single game this century next to LSU’s Ben Simmons. Follow his National Player of the Year campaign and season highlights at: www.AuburnTigers.com/broome

» The senior big man’s 17 double-doubles this season are the second-most in a season in Auburn history, one behind Mike Mitchell’s 18 double-doubles during the 1974-75 season.

» He has also registered 41 double-doubles since his arrival on the Plains in 2022-23, which is the third-most by any player in the SEC over the last 25 seasons. He trails former Kentucky center Oscar Tshiebwe (48 from 2021-23) and LSU forward Glen Davis (44 from 2004-07).

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Auburn Daily Staff
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