Auburn vs. Kentucky: 2019-20 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

The Southeastern Conference centers on Rupp Arena this coming Saturday afternoon, as top-15 teams Auburn and Kentucky will do battle.

TV schedule: Saturday, February 29, 3:45 pm ET. CBS.
Arena: Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.

Auburn will make the trip to Lexington on Saturday afternoon to square off with Kentucky in a duel between the top-two squads in the Southeastern Conference standings. The surging No. 8 Wildcats (23-5, 13-2), winners of seven straight, are two contests ahead of the No. 15 Tigers (24-4, 11-4), a crew that has captured two affairs in a row, with three encounters remaining for each group in the SEC regular-stanza race.

Should Kentucky exact revenge on Auburn for the Tigers’ 75-66 home conquest of the Wildcats on Feb. 1, that would seal the deal for Kentucky as it pertains to the SEC regular-term trophy.

The Wildcats are getting hot at just the right time, with March Madness right around the corner. Currently, Kentucky is at No. 19 in the NCAA NET system and projected by bracketologists as a No. 4 seed in the Big Dance, however, the Wildcats absolutely could move up a few seed lines if they continue to triumph.

Auburn, meanwhile, is at No. 27 in the NET and also forecast as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the moment. The Tigers have an uphill climb to knock off Kentucky at Rupp Arena, as the Wildcats are 15-1 on their own turf so far in the 2019-20 campaign, while Auburn is 4-4 on the road. To that end, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index says that Kentucky possesses a 69.0 percent chance to prevail.

Let’s delve into some stats. On the year, the Tigers are averaging 78.3 points every 40 minutes and giving up 70.3 points. The Wildcats are slightly worse on offense, scoring 74.6 points per meeting, and better on defense, allowing 65.4 points.

From a shooting perspective, Auburn is hitting on 43.3 percent from the field, 67.2 percent from the charity stripe and a sub-par 30.1 percent from beyond the arc. Kentucky connects on 46.3 percent from the field as a whole, a stellar 79.3 percent from the free-throw line and 33.7 percent from deep.

In other departments, the Tigers hold the edge in rebounding and steals. The Wildcats get the nod in assists and blocks. Turnovers committed are virtually identical. I foresee a closely fought bout here, with Kentucky defeating Auburn to cement its name on the league hardware.

Prediction: Kentucky 76 – Auburn 71