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KY Insider Preview: Kentucky vs. Auburn

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On Saturday, for the second time this season, the Cats will face off against the Auburn Tigers who have one of the most efficient offenses in the country. This will be Kentucky’s first game without senior Reid Travis and will be interesting to see the adjustment the Cats have to make.

Auburn, who was ranked as high as 7th earlier this season has really fallen off since the start of SEC play. The Tigers are now 18-8 (7-6 SEC) on the season and are 6th in the SEC standings. Kentucky won 82-80 in a close game at Auburn last month. However, Auburn is still a tournament team that has a top-15 offense and top-30 defense and with an afternoon tip and Travis Reid out, they have all the tools to beat the Cats at Rupp. Let’s take a look at what Kentucky needs to focus on to be successful.

Guard the Perimeter

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Auburn gets most of their points from the three-point line. The Tigers shoot an average of 29.4 three-pointers per game, which is the sixth highest rate in the country. They don’t just shoot them, Auburn makes them too with a top-20 three-point percentage at 38.5%. With 7 players (playing meaningful minutes) shooting over 30%, Auburn is the best shooting team that the Cats have played this year and will play until the NCAA tournament.

Auburn’s ability to shoot the three was on full display when they faced the Cats last month as they erased Kentucky’s 18-point lead in a matter of minutes and gave themselves a chance to win at the end. The good thing is that Auburn doesn’t shoot as well on the road, but on the other hand we have seen just how well opponents shoot at Rupp.

Take Care of the Ball

This year Auburn has been a pest and have forced opponents into committing turnovers on 25.9 percent of all possessions this year, the highest rate in the NCAA. In January’s matchup, Kentucky was able to take decent care of the ball with 13 turnovers but allowed 15 fast break points, all off of turnovers. It will be key for Kentucky to limit turnovers and get back in transition.

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Convert from the Free Throw Line

Auburn fouls at an alarming rate, ranked as the 2nd worst in the SEC and 262nd in the country, their opponents average 20.7 free throw attempts. Kentucky was able to take advantage of this in their last matchup going 24-33 (72.7) at the line. This is the best free throw shooting team under Calipari and with the game at Rupp, Kentucky should be able to capitalize on their opportunities.

Matchups

This game won’t be like round 1 against Auburn, with Travis Reid out and their big Austin Wiley being healthy. In January, the Cats didn’t have to deal with the athletic big and that allowed for Kentucky’s frontcourt to pretty much dominate Auburn. The Cats could benefit from Reid’s absence in this game by allowing the more athletic EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards to go up against Wiley.

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This will be a game decided by the guards. Auburn guards Bryce Brown (28 points last time against UK) and Jared Harper both average over 15 points and shoot 39.3% and 41.3% from three as high-volume shooters. Ashton Hagans, Immanuel Quickley, Tyler Herro, and Jemarl Baker will have to be great defensively and be able to punch back offensively. Whichever team has the best performance from their guards will give themselves a great chance to win.

Prediction

This game will ultimately come down to how well Auburn shoots from outside and Kentucky’s perimeter defense. The Tigers are coming off a 79-56 win over Arkansas where Auburn shot 51.5% from three on 17/33 shooting. I expect the Cats to win but there will be a lot of unpredictability with Reid out.

Kentucky-78 Auburn-71

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Men's Basketball

Adou Thiero Enters Transfer Portal, Keeps Options Open

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© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky’s first domino of the off-season has fallen. Adou Thiero has entered the transfer portal, according to On3’s Jamie Shaw. He has entered his name in the NBA Draft as well, while not ruling out a return to Kentucky, according to KSR’s Jack Pilgrim.

A big hit to Kentucky’s upcoming roster, as Thiero’s upside and growth will be missed. In the 2023-24 season, Thiero averaged 7.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while missing 7 games due to injury. The 6-8 wing brought physicalness that Kentucky desperately needed this season, and something Calipari has been stressing for this upcoming season. Calipari harped on him numerous times this season, saying “He’s gotten so much better.”

Thiero has jumped in mock drafts all season, and his potential is sky high. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony even had Thiero going 27th in the 2025 NBA Draft. Now, he will get to add to his potential elsewhere.

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Now, Kentucky will look to find a good replacement for him as more things start happening throughout the off-season. Calipari is continuing to meet with players to discuss their future plans throughout the week.

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John Calipari Highlights Changes for Next Season

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John Calipari draws up a play at Kentucky's season opener. Said he made a "tweak".
UK Athletics

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein.

Many Kentucky fans have referred to this quote over the last few days, expressing a desire for a change from John Calipari. However, Calipari will be back on the sidelines for the Kentucky Wildcats next season for his 16th season, confirmed by Mitch Barnhart on Tuesday.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be any changes.

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On Monday, John Calipari went on his season-ending radio show, giving his first comments to fans since Kentucky’s upset loss to Oakland last Thursday. It was easy to see why is a good recruiter, as he said all the right things.

For the better part of an hour, Calipari spoke with humility, answered some direction questions from Tom Leach, and accepted criticism. The main takeaway was that he understands that he has not met the Kentucky standard or his own standard, and changes need to take place.

“We’ve got to evaluate everything,” Calipari said. Here are some changes that have been outlined.

Getting Back to “Grinding”

Kentucky basketball offseason has often consisted of international trips to the Bahamas, or Canada last season, but not this year. Calipari emphasized a desire to get back to what his early Kentucky teams were characterized by, defense and physicality.

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“What about in the summers, instead of the Bahmas or Toronto, we’re grinding,” Calipari proposed. “We’ve got to get back to where we’ve been defensively and with physicality. Your defense steadies you.”

Those trips are good for team bonding and chemistry, but it’s clear that time can be used better for getting into the weight room and instilling defensive principles. Calipari did note that he does not want to take a step back on offense.

Getting Older

Calipari is the coach who made the “one-and-done” approach popular, relying heavily on elite freshmen. However, with college basketball getting older, he has expressed a willingness to get older.

“We’re relying on freshmen too much. In those kinds of games, you better have some vets,” Calipari said of his takeaway from Oakland. “For us, we need to get older.”

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It should be noted that Calipari relied on transfers in 2022 and 2023, albeit most not being the elite transfers, but more supporting pieces (i.e. CJ Fredrick) and developmental players (i.e. Jacob Toppin). That said, two transfers have been the leading scorer for Kentucky in three straight seasons, Oscar Tshiebwe and Antonio Reeves.

Calipari is looking more for a middle ground between young talent and transfers. “I like the combination of both. We just got to get the right transfers.”

Program Changes

When you are winning, you have more freedom, but when you have just one NCAA Tournament win in the last four seasons, you’re not going to have that luxury. This was not publicly said by Calipari, but more oversight will come as a result of his meeting with Barnhart on Tuesday afternoon.

Expect 1-2 staff changes and likely a support staff change. One of the staff changes should be filled with a defensive mind, and the support staff should be (suggestion) filled with someone in a general manager-type role. There will also be some operation changes such as having a more definitive practice schedule, rather than getting a text the day before/of, and some changes with the NIL model.

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Mitch Barnhart Speaks On John Calipari Coming Back As Kentucky Basketball Coach, “He Will Return”

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Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart confirms that John Calipari will return as Kentucky Wildcats basketball coach.
Mike Weaver/Special to the Courier Journal

After days of speculation, Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart confirms that John Calipari will be back, coaching his 16th season for the Kentucky Wildcats. The two had a conversation at Barnhart’s farm on Tuesday afternoon.

“As we normally do at the end of every season, Coach Calipari and I have had conversations about the direction of our men’s basketball program and I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach,” Barnhart said in a statement.

While there was some fan outcry for a head coaching change, there was no real indication that a change would be made.

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Barnhart was put in a difficult situation. Calipari has not led the Wildcats to the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2019, but he is one of just a few active Hall of Fame coaches. With no clear option as a replacement, Barnhart decided to retain Calipari for another season.

Kentucky Insider has been told that Tuesday’s meeting between the two was “good”, despite some disagreement. As a result of the meeting, there will be some expected changes in the program, specifically some staff changes, and changes in day-to-day operations.

On Monday, Calipari recognized his shortcomings and closed out his show with a commitment to the Kentucky fans:

“That standard of national titles has been here from coach Rupp on. The only thing I am saying to all our fans. I’m going to work… That is a commitment that I give to the fans. I love it. This is what I want. This is it. Let’s come together and let’s do something.”

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Calipari is set to meet with players individually on Wednesday to discuss their stay/go decisions. The process of rebuilding next year’s roster (and staff) begins now.

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