Playing UK ‘an opportunity’ for Auburn

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Playing Kentucky ‘an opportunity’ for Auburn

By Giana Han

4-6 minutes

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Allen Flanigan (22) dribbles the ball down the court during Auburn's 95-77 win at Georgia on Jan. 13, 2021. Credit: Tony Walsh/Georgia Athletics

Auburn has been playing much better basketball in recent games, thanks in part to Sharife Cooper’s return. But so has Auburn’s next opponent, the Kentucky Wildcats, coach Bruce Pearl pointed out.

The Wildcats may have gotten off to one of their worst starts in recent history, going 1-6 in nonconference play, but Pearl still considers them the “benchmark of our league.”

“And so people will measure for you against how you perform against the best,” Pearl said. “That’s how you should be measured. And so, for us, obviously, this game matters.”

When the Tigers take on the Wildcats in Auburn Arena at 1 p.m. on Saturday, they’ll be facing a team that has faced struggles but has also managed to excel in some key areas where Auburn has not. As they flipped the 1-6 start to a 3-1 start in league play, the Wildcats have shown they have some of the same strengths as the Tigers have as well as some the Tigers don’t.

Specifically, Pearl pointed to the way Kentucky, like Auburn, has been able to block shots and force turnovers. Kentucky has forced 12 turnovers a game and averaged 13.1 points a game off those turnovers. Auburn has forced 14.9 turnovers per game and averaged 16 points. They both are in the negative for turnover margin this season.

Both teams are very long. This season, Jaylin Williams, JT Thor and Babatunde Akingbola have been fierce protectors at the rim and all have more than 10 blocks this season. Last game, Devan Cambridge stepped up and had five blocks in a single game, bringing him into the double digits, as well.

On the Kentucky side, there are only two players in the double digits for blocking — but Isaiah Jackson has league-high 35 blocks this season. Auburn’s block leader, Williams, has 18. Jackson is the leading shot blocker for minutes played because he’s got “great timing” and “great length,” Pearl said.

While both teams can block, for Kentucky, that leads into an area of the game Auburn isn’t great at. After a Wildcat denies a shot and recovers the ball, the team moves quickly into transition and pushes it down the court. So far, Auburn has not done well getting back into transition defense, Pearl pointed out.

Defense is one of the areas that Cooper’s return hasn’t given a big boost. Cooper showed improvement, playing more physical and guarding his man better against Georgia, but he isn’t at the level where he can make the whole team’s defense better yet, especially in transition. Auburn has struggled with fouls and getting back when trying to stop opponents who are barreling down the court to the basket.

Kentucky is also really good at rebounding its own shots for second chances, and Auburn is currently missing its best rebounder, Justin Powell, who has averaged 6.1 rebounds per game. Cooper may have smoothly filled in Powell’s place as starting point guard (which was not Powell’s natural position anyways), but in his two games so far, he’s only averaged 4.5 rebounds. Two of Kentucky’s stronger offensive rebounders are guards, so Cooper will get the chance to show more improvement as he gets back into game condition. Powell, meanwhile, remains day to day.

Kentucky’s strongest rebounder, on both ends of the court, is the 6-10 forward, Jackson. He is averaging 7.1 rebounds a game, and two other forwards are averaging five or more rebounds a game. The only Auburn players with those type of numbers are its two guards, Powell and Allen Flanigan, so Auburn will need its bigs to step up and prevent Kentucky from getting extra chances to score points.

As an extremely young team, Auburn is obviously improving as its players gain experience. But when it comes to reaching its potential, Auburn still has “a ways to go,” Pearl said. So getting to play against the “premiere program” in the SEC is “an honor” and “an opportunity” as the Tigers look to extend their win against Georgia into a two-game streak and gain confidence as the SEC season continues.