Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Kentucky vs. Auburn Pre-view




After an ugly win over what proved to be a very scrappy Mississippi State team, Kentucky is back on the road this time traveling to Alabama to take on the Tigers of Auburn. 

The Tigers come into the game with a record of 11-10 (3-7 SEC) while losing their last game 87-80 against LSU on the road. So it's safe to say that this is a hungry team and will no doubt be difficult to defeat at home. With a winter storm threatening the area around Auburn, the probability of the game being played is somewhat in doubt. It seems like bad weather follows this team like a little lost puppy.

Here's a quick look at what makes Auburn, Auburn....


                                               AUBURN AT A GLANCE:



EST: 1856

ENROLLMENT:  25,469

LOCATION:  Auburn, Alabama

BATTLE CRY:  War Eagle (I'm not real sure what the hell this even means)

COLORS:  Burnt Orange/Navy Blue (of course this will be ANOTHER t-shirt game)

NICKNAME:  Tigers

MASCOT:  Aubie The Tiger

CONFERENCE:  SEC


If we get the usual performance Kentucky shows on the road, this will be a much harder game than it really should be.  However, if we see the type of play this team is capable of, then this should be a very good road win.  


Here's a look at what the Cats will face Wednesday night...


                                              AUBURN BY THE NUMBERS:



According to the stats above, if Kentucky plays halfway decent defense (transition defense) this should be a fairly easy road win. But, they continue to struggle with defense in transition, then we will see more easy baskets for the opposition like we've seen pretty much all season long. The key to this game will be Willie Cauley-Stein. For this team to reach it's full potential, Cauley-Stein has got to play to his potential, as Willie goes, as does the team. 


Let's take a look at the history of this long-time rivalry...


                                                              SERIES HISTORY:

This series dates all the way back to 1921 where Kentucky got their first win over the Tigers by a score of 40-25. The Cats has dominated the series throughout history with a record of 88-17. Kentucky is currently ridding a 15 game winning streak against Auburn with their last loss coming on the road in 2000 by a score of 66-63.  The last meeting between these two obviously ended in a 72-62 Kentucky win in Rupp Arena.
(All historical facts were found at www.bigbluehistory.net)


                                                                              FINAL THOUGHTS:

There isn't much to discuss, Kentucky needs to take care of business. If the Cats can get the win at Auburn they would be ridding a nice little four game winning streak into Saturday when Florida comes to Rupp for College Game Day. 












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