Auburn Basketball: 2018-19 keys to beating Kentucky at home

LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 21: Bryce Brown #2 and Malik Dunbar #4 of the Auburn Tigers flex after Brown scored during the second half of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 21, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

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AUBURN, ALABAMA – DECEMBER 22: Austin Wiley #50 of the Auburn Tigers drives against KJ Williams #23 of the Murray State Racers at Auburn Arena on December 22, 2018 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

2. Auburn must be better on the defensive glass

Another thing Auburn must do in order to secure a home win is make an effort to survive on the defensive glass. The Tigers are one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in basketball, grabbing only 23.88 per game, which is the 287th worst number in the nation. Only three players on the team, Okeke (53), junior center Austin Wiley (57), and Anfernee McLemore (50) have grabbed at least 50 defensive rebounds this season. The team’s struggles on the defensive boards is a bit of a head scratcher as they are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, pulling down 15.81 per game, a number that is 2nd in the sport.

The reason the defensive glass will be so important for Auburn is that Kentucky is so good on the offensive glass. The Wildcats pull down 12 per game, while that number is 61st best in the sport, it is only 5th best in the SEC and four players, Reid Travis, PJ Washington, EJ Montgomery, and Nick Richards account for 126 of those 192 offensive boards. Kentucky shoots 48.6% from the field so missed shots could be few and far between, and if Auburn is unable to keep the Wildcats off the offensive glass, protecting their home floor will become more of an uphill battle.

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