With Florida coming to Rupp Arena on Saturday for a high powered show down it is easy for Big Blue Nation to look ahead in anticipation. Yet the Wildcats themselves have one more hurdle to jump before turning their attention to the Gators. The Cats are on the road tonight and will face the Auburn Tigers amid another winter storm. Kentucky fans are obsessed with naming teams and it seems a fitting one for this team would be the icecats or something weather related. Regardless of the treacherous travel situation the Cats will face a decent road test against an Auburn team that is 11-10.
The Tigers are in their fourth season under Tony Barbee who played and coached under John Calipari earlier in his career. Cal is extremely supportive of his guys and he continues to speak highly of Barbee’s coaching ability. Despite his praises the welcome for Barbee in Auburn seems to be growing cold after 4 years of losing. The Tigers went 9-23 last season and were only 3-15 in conference play. They will slightly improve upon those numbers this season but it will most likely be the end of the road for Barbee after the season. It is almost inevitable that Orlando Antigua and Kenny Payne will eventually get a head coaching opportunity in the near future. If one of them moves on there would be a good chance that Cal would look to add Barbee to his staff if he is available at the time. Just something to keep in the back of your mind as things unfold this offseason.
As for this season’s team Auburn features two high scoring guards in KT Harrell and Chris Denson. The duo averages 39.6 points per game which is over 50% of the Tigers scoring as a team. Harrell is a sharp shooter from beyond the arc and Denson scores by driving to the basket. With a starting lineup of three guards and a 6’6 power forward there will be an obvious size advantage for Kentucky. The Tigers do have some experience in their lineup with three seniors and a junior. Depending on how the weather affects the crowd it should be a good atmosphere and a solid road test for the Cats
The battle that Kentucky will face tonight is trying not to overlook an inferior opponent with a huge game looming on the horizon. The Cats came out flat against Mississippi State and it will not shock me in the least to see them do the same tonight. Many fans have asked me why this team seems to be so inconsistent and in my opinion the answer is relatively easy. The top seven players in the Cats rotation are five freshmen and two sophomores which makes them one of the youngest teams in history. Inexperience and inconsistency go hand in hand which is why the Cats erratic play should not come as a shock. As the season has went on there has been a good deal of improvement in regards to energy throughout the course of games. Yet it remains to be something that Kentucky can improve on as they gain more experience. There is always a chance that the Cats come out ready to steam roll Auburn from the tip off and win easily.
My prediction is that it will be a back and forth game with the Cats pulling away in the final ten minutes of the contest for a 77-68 win. Winning on the road in conference is never easy and as long as the Cats come back to Lexington with a win it will be a good one. Then the focus can shift on to Kentucky’s chance to get its biggest win of the season against the Gators on Saturday.
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