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Kentucky vs. Auburn: TV/Streaming Info, Preview, and Betting Odds/Predictions

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Mark Pope and Bruce Pearl, the Kentucky Wildcats take on the Auburn Tigers in a ranked matchup.
Jake Crandall, Jordan Prather | IMAGN

Fresh off a last-second win over the Oklahoma Sooners, the Kentucky Wildcats face arguably their toughest opponent of the season: Bruce Pearl and his top-ranked Auburn Tigers.

Auburn will invade Lexington for a 1 PM ET game time Saturday in what is one of the biggest matchups of the season.

Led by National Player of the Year favorite Johni Broome, who began his career at nearby Morehead State, the Tigers are likely getting the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament with a 26-2 record. Those losses came to Duke and Florida, ironically, two teams that Kentucky has beaten.

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Playing the No. 1 team at Rupp for just the sixth time in program history is a great way to kick off March, and it will provide Kentucky a litmus test to see where they stand vs. a team that feels bound for a deep March Madness run.

Let’s take a look at what to watch for in the matchup.

Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson

Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson returned to the lineup against Oklahoma after a two-week absence, but neither played more than 20 minutes.

Butler did make his presence felt with seven points and six assists to go with his leadership and defensive pressure. On an even more positive note, he said postgame that he didn’t have any pain throughout the game.

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Sadly, that was not the case for Robinson, whose wrist injury did not respond well, explaining why he only played 12 minutes and missed the entire second half. He did manage to chip in seven points on 3/7 shooting with two steals and an assist, so he did have a relatively positive impact in his limited minutes. Just getting that Saturday would be huge vs. an Auburn team that’s likely going to score 80+ points.

Butler seems to be a full go for Auburn, but the team could play it safe with Robinson’s wrist and sit him for another game. That may be the right move to ensure he’s as healthy as possible for the Big Dance.

Free-Throw Shooting

Playing a physical brand of defense, Auburn fouls at a high rate. In fact, in three of their last four games, they have committed at least 22 fouls, and opponents have attempted an average of 26 free throws. That means Kentucky must take advantage of the charity stripe.

Of late, the Cats have done just that, converting 77.9% on their free throws over the last seven games.

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Against a team that doesn’t make many mistakes, taking advantage of the ones they do make certainly helps with the chance of an upset.

Push the Pace

Auburn has the most efficient offense in the country, according to KenPom. However, they are not a team that likes to push the pace. With an average offensive possession of 17.2 seconds, they rank 12th of 16 SEC teams and eighth in overall pace.

In the two games they have lost, their opponents have forced Auburn by playing at their pace and have gotten into their legs, making a difference at the end of the game.

While Kentucky can’t match the top ten defense of Duke or Florida, they are capable of beating the Tigers on the boards. With Lamont Butler back at point, they could use the boards to get some runouts and create some explosive plays.

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Opposing Players to Watch

G Johni Broome 6-10, 240 lbs

  • 18.8 PPG (3rd in SEC)
  • 11.0 RPG (1st in SEC)
  • 2.5 BPG (1st in SEC)

G Chad Baker-Mazara 6-7, 180 lbs

  • 12.7 PPG
  • 2.5 APG
  • 25 years of age

G Denver Jones 6-4, 205 lbs

  • 11.0 PPG
  • 2.5 APG
  • 43.4% 3P

Kentucky Basketball vs. Auburn Tigers

Time: 1:00 PM ET on March 1st, 2025
Location: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, Kentucky
TV Channel: ABC
Announcers: Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, and Jess Sims will call the fun.
Online Stream: You can stream the game online using ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens will have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | AU
Stats to Know: UK | AU
KenPom: UK | AU
Team Sheet: UK | AU

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for the back, so check back Friday. EvanMiya is the most optimistic in the Cats’ chances…at just 38.3%. KenPom is the most pessimistic at 33, while. ESPN is at 35.7%, and BartTorvik has it at 34%.

Predictions: EvanMiya has an 82-79 win for Auburn. Haslametrics has it at 85-78 in favor of the Tigers. BartTorvik (87-82) and KenPom (86-81) both project narrow defeats for Kentucky. Auburn has lost just one game in SEC play and looks like the best team in the nation. Kentucky has a chance, especially if Butler and Robinson both play, but I don’t think they pull it off. Auburn, 86-79.

Send us your Kentucky vs. Auburn score predictions in the comments section!

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Go CATS!

Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

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Men's Basketball

CBS Sports: Kentucky Has “ended pursuits” in Transfer Portal Following Aberdeen Commitment

In the wake of yet another addition to Kentucky’s incoming roster, CBS Sports reports that Coach Pope and staff may have closed the portal.

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Mark Pope and staff may have everything they need from the transfer portal.
Chet White | UK Athletics

Following another flurry of transfer portal additions in his second year at the helm, it appears that Mark Pope and staff are satisfied with their sophomore haul. The portal in Lexington may be officially closed for the 2025-26′ season.

Right after Kentucky received the surprising commitment of Denzel Aberdeen, Matt Norlander, an analyst for CBS Sports, posted the following on X (Twitter):

“Barring any portal defections, Kentucky has ended its pursuits of all other portal targets, sources told CBS Sports. Getting Aberdeen today [April 21] meant they’ve moved off Andrej Stojakovic, Rylan Griffen, etc. Otega Oweh going through pre-draft process-but I expect him back in Lex”.

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With the addition of Aberdeen, the Wildcats’ roster ballooned to near-max capacity for next season. Seeing two of the team’s walk-on players, Grant Darbyshire and Walker Horn, enter the transfer portal seemed to all but confirm this suspicion, too.

Losing One of Our Own

That is, until last night. With less than two hours remaining for players to do so, Travis Perry shocked much of the Big Blue Nation by throwing his name into the hat. This came just weeks after a string of comments from the Kentucky-native point guard seemed to confirm his return for a sophomore season.

Though all the same, given Kentucky’s bulk of back-court additions this offseason, his departure makes sense for the sake of playing time alone. The Lyon King will be sorely missed.

So while the Kentucky staff may still be very much content with their current roster, with hundreds of players remaining in the portal and an unexpected spot on the roster coming open, another grab is far from out of the question.

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Who Coach Pope and company would go after is entirely unclear, as that potential player would likely have to accept a minimized role off the bench for a stretch of his time in Lexington. If anything, the logical replacement would be a direct fill-in at the PG2/PG3 spot in Perry’s absence.

Either way, the ‘Cats are set to come into next season as one of the most exciting teams in college basketball with a ceiling far out of view. Mark Pope continues to prove his prowess in the transfer market, too, easing the worries of Wildcats fans and closing the door on many supposed “insiders” who’ve spent the last month suggesting otherwise.

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REPORT: Travis Perry Enters Transfer Portal

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Kentucky basketball Travis Perry talks about growing more comfortable on the court.
Jordan Prather | IMAGN

The transfer portal has been kind to Kentucky in the Mark Pope era. Last season, the staff was able to build a Sweet Sixteen roster almost exclusively from the portal, and this offseason have put together a top-five portal class.

While the portal giveth, it also taketh. Just hours before the deadline to enter, Kentucky native and fan favorite Travis Perry has entered the transfer portal, per multiple reports.

Coming to Kentucky as the state’s all-time high-school scoring record holder, fans were excited to see how his career would unfold in Lexington.

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Not expecting to play much freshman, he was called upon due to injuries and played some key minutes for the Wildcats into the postseason. He averaged 2.7 PPG and .6 APG on 32% shooting from three.

Looking at the depth chart, it was difficult to see where Perry would get much playing time next season, leading to his decision to enter the portal.

Perry has yet to release an official statement, but all the best to him in his future.

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Men's Basketball

Top Transfer Guard Denzel Aberdeen Commits to Kentucky

Former Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen commits to Kentucky, likely closing the transfer portal for next year’s roster.

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Denzel Aberdeen commits to Kentucky.
UF Athletics

Another day, another “boom.” Denzel Aberdeen has officially committed to Kentucky for the 2025-26’ season.

A soon-to-be senior guard fresh off his championship win with Florida, Aberdeen spent his first three years of eligibility in Gainesville. Now, following an apparent conflict in the Gators’ rotation, he’s swapped teams in the southeast.

At 6 ‘5”, 190, Aberdeen spent much of this past season beating defenders off the dribble and making them pay at the rim. His speed and size made him a nightmare off the bench for opposing teams, and for the short stretch of play that he started during the year, Florida didn’t miss a beat. 

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In 19 minutes, Aberdeen averaged 8 points, two rebounds and one assist per game. His consistent contribution to the Gators’ title run made him one of the most coveted transfers in the cycle this season, and given his big blue commitment just days after entering the portal, Mark Pope clearly wasted no time in Kentucky’s pursuit.

Aberdeen slots in as yet another addition to what was already one of the strongest portal classes going into next season. His SEC experience and combo-guard intangibles make Aberdeen one of the most exciting portal players to come through Lexington in a long while, reinforcing Kentucky’s back court to what may be the final degree.

Whether or not Mark Pope is officially done for next season, nobody is sure, but this commitment only further cements the fact that he knows exactly what he’s doing. Just like the  fanbase behind him, Coach Pope seems to never sleep.

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