A three-for-all at Auburn? UK hopes not (and other takeaways).

Five takeaways from Kentucky’s interviews on the eve of Saturday’s game at Auburn:

▪ Three-point defense will be priority one for Kentucky. In its first five SEC games, Auburn averaged 31.4 three-point shots. UK is aware of the importance of defending the three.

▪ Keldon Johnson was not pleased with going scoreless at Georgia, roommate and teammate Tyler Herro said. John Calipari said he has instructed Johnson to look for open teammates while also taking open shots. Multi-tasking? No, Calipari said, it’s called playing basketball.

▪ Calipari liked how Kentucky’s four “bigs” divided playing time at Georgia on Tuesday. He seems to be warming to the idea of using four “bigs” rather than have a three-man rotation with the fourth man getting the idea to work harder.

▪ Auburn presents another variation in opponent’s style. This serves as good preparation for the potpourri of styles in the NCAA Tournament. In the last two games, UK played a Vanderbilt team that used a zone and slowed the tempo, then a Georgia team that played at a fast pace and used a man-to-man. Now comes Auburn with a drenching of three-point shots and a pressure defense that has seen its first five SEC opponents average 19.6 turnovers.

▪ Kentucky had been ranked in the top 10 nationally in free-throw attempts and makes. But in the last two games, UK shot a total of 25 free throws. A smiling Herro suggested maybe the refs are calling enough fouls. Calipari cited Vandy’s zone as a break on UK’s parade to the foul line.