Connect with us

Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Auburn: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Predictions

Published

on

Kentucky travels to Auburn for a tough SEC road matchup, looking to pull an upset.
Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

After ending a three-game home skid with a win over Ole Miss, Kentucky Basketball will go on the road to “The Jungle” for one of their toughest games of the season, facing Bruce Pearl and the No. 13 Auburn Tigers with College GameDay in town.

While this Auburn team has seven players from last year’s squad who lost to Kentucky by 32 points last season, they are not the same team. This season, the Tigers have added 5-star guard Aden Holloway, who played alongside Rob Dillingham for much of his youth basketball career, Denver Jones, a 20 PPG scorer from FIU, and Chad Baker-Mazara, one of the top JUCO players in the country last season.

Together, they are a team that moves the ball very well and defends at a high level, ranking top 10 in both KenPom offensive and defensive efficiency.

Advertisement

Here’s what to watch for when Kentucky battles the Tigers.

Win the Boards

Good rebounding and physical teams are the ones that Kentucky has struggled with this season. SEC teams like South Carolina and Tennessee fit that bill, and in those games, it never really felt like Kentucky had a chance. Auburn is characterized in the same way.

Over the last few weeks, the Kentucky staff and players have talked about needing to improve their physicality and effort in rebounding. Saturday will provide the latest opportunity to see how the Wildcats perform against such a team.

With Tre Mitchell potentially out (more on that later), a lot will rely on the 7-footers, who will have to play with more physicality and make better decisions. However, the Tigers have a small backcourt, which Kentucky could take advantage of.

Advertisement

Stick to the Game Plan

This Kentucky team has struggled on the road. Outside of a blowout win against Vanderbilt, the Wildcats have won two other games by an average of just four points, and losing two others.

Auburn has yet to lose at home this season and has beaten SEC opponents by an average of more than 20 points at home, including a 40-point win against No. 11 South Carolina this week. With a sold-out College GameDay environment and an arena layout that makes it feel like the crowd is on top of you, it will be the most difficult environment Kentucky has played in this season.

In road games this season, Kentucky has let the crowd affect them, which has led to them playing outside of themselves and the scouting report. They cannot do that on Saturday. If they do, it could be an ugly loss.

Tre Mitchell Watch

Kentucky had a full and healthy roster for the first time this season and all of 24 minutes on Tuesday against Ole Miss, as Tre Mitchell checked out in the second half with a shoulder injury.

Advertisement

At the time of this article, his status is unclear, but it does not look promising for Saturday.

A leader on the court, Mitchell is someone that the younger players look to when things aren’t going right. When he is not out there, it’s easy to see that Kentucky misses that presence. However, the game will be played with or without him.

Could Justin Edwards continue his improvement and have a big game in his absence? Could Adou Thiero, who is throwing down 360 dunks in warmups as his back is feeling better, have a productive game like he did against Gonzaga?

More importantly, will guys like Ugonna Onyenso, Aaron Bradshaw, and/or Zvonimir Ivisic be able to step up in a hostile environment to help offset Mitchell being limited or out altogether? That will be a big key to Kentucky being capable of winning this game.

Advertisement

Opposing Players to Watch

F Johni Broome 6-10, 240 lbs

  • 16.2 PPG (8th in SEC)
  • 8.4 RPG (2nd in SEC)
  • 2.4 BPG (2nd in SEC)
  • 55.4% FG (2nd in SEC)

F Jaylin Williams 6-8, 245 lbs

  • 13.4 PPG
  • 4.9 RPG
  • 42.6% 3P (9th in SEC)

G Tre Donaldson 6-3, 200 lbs

  • 7.2 PPG
  • 3.8 APG
  • 2.5 RPG

Kentucky Basketball vs. Auburn Tigers

  • Time: 6 PM EST on Feb. 17th
  • Location: Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama
  • TV Channel: ESPN will have TV coverage.
  • Announcers: Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, and Jess Simms are calling the action.
  • Online Stream: Stream the game online using WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
  • Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
  • Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
  • Rosters: UK | AUB
  • Stats to Know: UK | AUB
  • KenPom: UK | AUB
  • Team Sheet: UK | AUB
  • Odds: The odds for the game have yet to be released, but check out SportsBetExpert for your picks. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Cats just a 14.9% chance of achieving victory. EvanMiya and BartTorvik are at 14.2% at 16%, respectively, while KenPom is at 18%.
  • Predictions: Bart Torvik picks Kentucky to lose 90-78. Haslametrics and EvanMiya has them losing 88-77 and 87-76. KenPom is the “nicest” with an 87-77 loss for the Cats.

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

Men's Basketball

Amari Williams Picked 46th by the Boston Celtics in the 2025 NBA Draft

Amari Williams is the second Kentucky player selected in the 2025 NBA Draft, as Boston takes the big man with their second round pick.

Published

on

Amari Williams is drafted by the Boston Celtics.
Wesley Hale | Imagn Images

Fan-favorite big man (and official Weetabix sponsor) Amari Williams has officially made it to the big leagues, taken by the Boston Celtics with the 46th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, via a trade with the Orlando Magic.

The selection makes Williams the second Wildcat to be scooped up from this year’s pool, following Koby Brea being picked by the Phoenix Suns just five picks earlier at the 41st spot. From Mark Pope’s first Kentucky team, two transfer athletes (thus far) in their last year of eligibility have achieved next-level dreams by way of the blue and white.

Williams, who averaged 11 points, nine rebounds, and three assists per game during his lone season in Lexington, will look to aid Boston in filling their recently vacant five-spot, left by the recently traded Kristaps Porzingis.

Advertisement

As Wildcat fans surely know, not only can Williams battle with the best of them in the paint, but he can run the floor as efficiently as just about any guard, too. His versatility and sizable frame ensure a high ceiling in the NBA and, despite not every draft board seeing him selected, the league champions two years removed made the call when it mattered.

Hailing overseas from Nottingham, England, and spending his first four years of college basketball at the University of Drexel, Williams’ success is a testament not only to Kentucky Basketball’s immaculate tradition, but to his own incredible work ethic and intangible ability.

Cats fans will be sure to follow and support their point-center to the next level, as they always do. Go be great, Amari – all of BBN has your back.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Men's Basketball

Koby Brea Selected to the Phoenix Suns With the No. 41 Overall Pick in the 2025 NBA Draft

Published

on

Tristan Pharis | KY Insider

Koby Brea arrived at Kentucky last season as one of the nation’s deadliest shooters, lived up to the billing, and reaped his rewards on Thursday night at the NBA Draft. The former Kentucky star is heading to the Phoenix Suns with the No. 41 overall pick

As a 6-foot-7 wing, Brea entered the 2025 NBA Draft as one of the most experienced prospects after spending four years at Dayton and a fifth at Kentucky during Mark Pope’s successful first season as head coach, where he became one of the best three-point shooters in all of college basketball.

Last season at Kentucky, the Bronx native averaged 11.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 43.5% from beyond the arc on nearly six attempts per game in 36 games, 16 of which were starts, showcasing his scoring ability in transition, off the catch, and via handoffs and screens.

Advertisement

Not only did Brea achieve his own dreams of playing at the next level, but becomes a piece of history for Pope, becoming the first player drafted out of Kentucky during the Pope era.

Brea joins a rebuilding franchise with a notorious background for drafting Kentucky guards. Eric Bledsoe rings the bell, Tyler Ulis of course, and the Suns’ all-time leading scorer, Devin Booker obviously leads the pack.

Go be great Fuego!

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Men's Basketball

How a Call with Mark Pope Led Denzel Aberdeen to Kentucky

After winning a national title at Florida, Denzel Aberdeen committed to Kentucky without ever visiting campus—thanks to a revealing three-hour call with head coach Mark Pope.

Published

on

Chet White | UK Athletics

As a junior, Denzel Aberdeen was a key part of Florida’s national title run. But a certain phone conversation convinced him to leave his home state and head north to Lexington in hopes of experiencing that feeling once again.

He had never set foot in Lexington before deciding to become a Kentucky Wildcat — and he didn’t need to. All it took was one phone call — three hours long, on Easter Sunday — with head coach Mark Pope to convince him that he belonged in blue and white.

“Our phone call lasted about three hours, to be honest,” Aberdeen said, meeting with the media in Lexington for the first time earlier this week. “A lot of it was just getting to know me and getting to know the school, the university, getting to know him (Pope), how their style was, a lot of film. Once I saw that, I was like this looks like a great guy to play for.”

Advertisement

The two went on to discuss Aberdeen’s role at Kentucky in more depth, including how Pope envisions him fitting into Kentucky’s new system — a system that, according to Aberdeen, is very similar, if not better than the one he just left.

“We had a lot of great players at Florida, especially the tall bigs. Bigs that love to run there, and we have just as much here; our bigs love to run, they play defense, and they play at a fast pace. So I think the things that we’ve got here are just as good, or even better,” Aberdeen said.

Averaging 7.7 points and nearly 20 minutes per game off the bench for the Gators last year, it’s clear to see what Aberdeen brings to the team: experience, versatility, calmness in the backcourt, and championship pedigree. Pope’s phone conversation with Aberdeen wasn’t just impactful on the court — it also speaks volumes to what he is doing off the court in pursuit of the goal he laid out in his introductory press conference: to hang banners.

This phone call wasn’t just about Denzel Aberdeen. It was a glimpse into Pope’s player-first, transparent coaching approach, which could define his era at Kentucky — and potentially make this season a special one, with Aberdeen playing another key role in a deep NCAA Tournament run.

Advertisement

“I know the goal is to win No. 9,” he said. “I know the fans want that, we want that, all the staff and coaches want that. That pushes us. We know what we gotta do when we come here and put on that Kentucky jersey. Just playing for the University of Kentucky is a big thing. Being here is a blessing, and I can’t look back.”

Continue Reading

Trending