How No. 17 Kentucky matches up against No. 1 Auburn — with a game prediction
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Game day: No. 17 Kentucky 83, Oklahoma 82
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Wednesday night’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Oklahoma in Norman, Okla.
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How the No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats (18-9, 7-7 SEC) and the No. 1 Auburn Tigers (25-2, 13-1 SEC) match up at each position for Saturday’s men’s college basketball game at Rupp Arena — with a game prediction:
Small forward
▪ Kentucky super-senior Jaxson Robinson (13 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 43.2% FGs, 37.6% treys) returned to the starting lineup in UK’s 83-82 win at Oklahoma on Wednesday night after missing the four previous games due to a wrist injury. The 6-foot-6, 192-pound super-senior from Ada, Oklahoma, hit 3 of 7 shots, 1 of 5 3-pointers and had seven points in 12 minutes of first-half action. However, Robinson did not return to the game after halftime. After the game, Mark Pope said Robinson’s wrist did not respond well — and UK announced in its Friday night injury report that Robinson is out for Saturday’s game. In his absence, presumably Koby Brea (10.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 43.6% treys) will make his ninth start of the year. Considered an outside shooting specialist, Brea, a 6-7, 215-pound super-senior, made only 1 of 6 3-point shots at Oklahoma but contributed nine points, seven rebounds and three assists to the UK win.
▪ Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara (12.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, 46.1% FGs, 37% treys) had a season-high 22 points in the Tigers’ 106-76 rout of Mississippi on Wednesday night. After going scoreless in Auburn’s 80-68 win at Vanderbilt on Feb. 11, the 6-7, 180-pound senior from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, has averaged 15.8 points over the past four games. Baker-Mazara played well against Kentucky in Auburn’s 70-59 home loss to the Wildcats last season. He hit 9 of 9 free throws and finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes.
Advantage: Auburn.
Power forward
▪ As Kentucky super-senior Andrew Carr (9.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 49 assists, 25 turnovers, 54.2% FGs) has fought his way back from back troubles, the 6-11, 235-pound super-senior has averaged 11.7 points over the past three games. The 6-11, 235-pound product of West Chester, Pennsylvania, has made 13 of 20 shots combined over those three games.
▪ Auburn’s Johni Broome (18.6 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.6 blocks, 50.7% FGs, 61% FTs) seems a lock to win SEC Player of the Year and is a strong candidate for national player of the year honors. The 6-10, 240-pound super-senior had 24 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks in Wednesday’s win over Ole Miss. A former star at Morehead State, Broome had 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks vs. UK last season. Two years ago at Rupp Arena, Broome had 12 points and one board as Auburn fell to Kentucky 86-54.
Advantage: Auburn.
Center
▪ Kentucky’s Amari Williams (10.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 84 assists, 37 blocks, 59.1% FGs) was slowed by foul trouble in the win at Oklahoma. In only 19 minutes, the 7-foot, 262-pound super-senior from Nottingham, England, had eight points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. In a season in which Williams has continually gotten better, he has scored in double figures in eight of the past 11 games. In UK’s 98-84 loss at Mississippi on Feb. 4, Williams had an amazing triple-double for a 7-footer — 12 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists.
▪ Auburn’s Dylan Cardwell (5.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.6 blocks, 66% FGs) had four points and four fouls in 14 minutes of action Wednesday against Mississippi. A 6-11, 255-pound super-senior from Augusta, Georgia, Cardwell has two double-doubles this season — 12 points and 11 rebounds vs. Monmouth on Dec. 30 and 10 points and 13 boards at Ole Miss on Feb. 1. However, Cardwell has scored only 21 points combined in Auburn’s past six games. In last year’s loss to UK, Cardwell had four points and a rebound in nine minutes but went 0-for-3 from the foul line.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Shooting guard
▪ Kentucky leading scorer Otega Oweh (16.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, team-high 41 steals, 48/9% FGs) is coming off the best game of his career in the win at Oklahoma. Traveling back to Norman to face his former team, the 6-4, 215-pound junior scored 28 points, 23 in the second half. The Newark, New Jersey, product scored Kentucky’s final 18 points of the game, including the game-winning bucket on a twisting shot in the lane with six seconds left. Oweh’s best game as a Wildcat immediately followed his worst game in UK blue and white, as he scored only two points before fouling out in Kentucky’s 96-83 loss at Alabama last Saturday. That was the only game this season in which Oweh has not scored in double figures.
▪ Auburn’s Miles Kelly (10.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 38.3% treys) hit 3 of 5 treys and scored 13 points in Wednesday’s win over Mississippi. A 6-6, 190-pound senior who transferred from Georgia Tech, Kelly had made only 9 of 37 3-point shots in Auburn’s eight games immediately prior to Ole Miss. A product of Stone Mountain, Georgia, Kelly has scored in double figures in 10 of Auburn’s 15 SEC games.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Point guard
▪ Kentucky’s Lamont Butler (12.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 94 assists, 34 steals, 50/9% FGs, 37.7% treys) returned at Oklahoma after missing the previous three games due to a shoulder injury. Before fouling out, the 6-2, 208-pound super-senior from Moreno Valley, California, had seven points, four rebounds and six assists. The San Diego State transfer’s importance to UK was shown at Oklahoma by the fact that, in a one-point game, Kentucky was plus-10 with Butler on the court.
▪ Auburn’s Denver Jones (10.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 43.6% treys) had 13 points and three assists in the blowout victory over Ole Miss on Wednesday. A 6-4, 205-pound senior who began his college career at Florida International, Jones is averaging 15.2 points over the Tigers’ past five games. In Auburn’s loss to Kentucky last season, Jones had 12 points, four rebounds and two assists, but made only 3 of 11 field goal attempts.
Advantage: Even.
Bench
▪ .A native of Oklahoma City, Kentucky sophomore center Brandon Garrison (6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 54 assists) played one of his best games at Oklahoma. The 6-10, 250-pound sophomore had 12 points, four rebounds, three steals and three blocks. ... Ansley Almonor (5.9 ppg, 43.8% treys) has become Kentucky’s “boom or bust” player. In his last 10 games, the 6-7, 244-pound senior has scored between nine and 13 points in six. In the other four, Almonor failed to score at all. ... It will be interesting to see how much run freshmen Collin Chandler (1.5 ppg), Trent Noah (2.8 ppg) and Travis Perry (2.8 ppg) get now that the UK roster is returning to health.
▪ Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford (11 ppg, 2.7 apg, 37.9% treys) has failed to score in double figures in three straight games and four of the past five. The 6-1, 175-pound freshman is capable of explosive outbursts, however. The Jersey City, New Jersey, product had 24 points in 22 minutes in a 70-68 win at Georgia on Jan. 18 and had 20 points in 18 minutes in an 84-78 loss at Duke on Dec. 4. ... Chaney Johnson (10.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 57.9% FGs) had 13 points, six rebounds and two assists in Wednesday’s win over Ole Miss. The 6-7, 225-pound senior has scored in double figures in six of the past seven games. ... Chris Moore (1.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg), a 6-6 220-pound super-senior, had one point and two rebounds vs. Kentucky last season. ... Ja’Heim Hudson (1.7 ppg, 1.1 rpg), a 6-7, 230-pound senior, had four points, two rebounds and an assist vs. Mississippi on Wednesday night.
Advantage: Even.
Trends and history
▪ Kentucky leads the all-time series with Auburn 98-23 and has won three of the past four and four of the past six meetings.
▪ Auburn coach Bruce Pearl is 6-9 vs. UK as Tigers head man and is 10-18 against the Wildcats overall.
▪ Kentucky coach Mark Pope is coaching against Auburn as a head man for the first time.
▪ UK is 14-2 this season at Rupp Arena. Auburn is 7-1 in road contests.
▪ Through Wednesday’s contests, Auburn is 15-2 in games the NCAA NET Rankings deem as Quad 1. That is the best such mark in the country. Kentucky is 9-8 in Quad 1 contests.
Advantage: Auburn.
Prediction
Auburn 84, Kentucky 80.
This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 11:51 AM.
