When Kentucky and Auburn played one another on Valentines Day last season, they did so under unusual circumstances. Kentucky came in on a three-game skid in SEC play, looking game-by-game like an SEC pretender than contender. Auburn, meanwhile, came in with a 22-3 record and a lead in the SEC standings.
Well, well, well, how the turntables.
This time around, the roles are practically reversed. Kentucky comes in to this February showdown with a 22-4 record, and just a game out of first-place in the SEC. Auburn, however, is looking more and more like an SEC pretender this time around. The Tigers are 18-8 overall but just 7-6 in league play. They're 2-2 in their last four, and in dire need of a marquee win to comfortably put them off potential NCAA Tournament bubble talks in coming weeks.
Viewing information
- When: Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky
- TV: CBS (Also available on CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App for Android, iOS, Roku, Fire TV and Apple TV)
- Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Game prediction, pick
Latest odds via SportsLine: Kentucky -7.5
Kentucky's simply too good right now. Even with center Reid Travis nursing a knee and expected to be out several games, UK's got too much going its way. PJ Washington is playing his best ball of the season, Tyler Herro is making shots he was missing earlier in the year, and Ashton Hagans is emerging as a premier defender in the league. I don't see UK getting dunked on at home Saturday -- especially not after winning comfortably vs. No. 1 Tennessee last week at Rupp. Pick: Kentucky 80, Auburn 70
[Which college basketball teams should you back today? And who should you avoid like the plague? Visit SportsLine now to see projected scores and stats from 10,000 simulations, Vegas insider picks, and optimized March Madness brackets, and find out!]
