Post SC Presser? new stuff

[AUpreacherman22 3,885]

12 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

i know you guys do and i appreciate it very much. i am fine about my health i am just a worrier until i get past it or whatever.i am sure some people do not get it. it is just a love of auburn and her people. i had a ball last night in fact. thank you for your kindness big shooter.

Yes!   Lots of us appreciate you!!!

I haven’t been on much lately.  I’ve been too busy!   But it is refreshing to jump on and see some articles fiddy posted!!!!👍

[aubiefifty 16,791]

 

saturdaydownsouth.com

 

Bruce Pearl previews Kentucky game from ‘Jungleville,’ says Cats will always be gold standard of SEC

Keith Farner | 2 hours ago

2–3 minutes

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Bruce Pearl is ready for a showdown from Kentucky on Saturday, a game expected to showcase Neville Arena’s raucous home-court environment in “The Jungle.”

The game, set for 6 p.m. ET will pit the No. 13 Tigers against the No. 22 Wildcats. Auburn is 20-5 and 9-3 in the SEC, tied for second, while UK is 17-7 and 7-4 in the league, 2 games behind Alabama, which sits at 9-2.

Here are some of Pearl’s comments from his Friday media availability:

• “You can feel the energy on campus,” he said.
• “Kentucky is still the gold standard in our league,” Pearl said. “They always will be. That’ll never change.”
• “Kentucky is really good. They are one of the best offensive teams in the country. … We struggled against Florida’s length and we’re going to have to find a way to not let Kentucky’s length have the same effect Florida’s did.”
• This Kentucky team is John Calipari’s best 3-point-shooting team. “There’s about four or five guys out there who, if they can see it, they can make it.”
• Bruce Pearl on Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham: “He scores like I breathe.”
• “A lot of pressure on Kentucky to win, as a result they’ve done well on the road,” Pearl said.
•  

H/T Justin Hokanson, Adam Cole and Richard Silva.

[aubiefifty 16,791]

 

auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Tale of the Tape: Examining Auburn and Kentucky ahead of Saturday's game

Taylor Jones

~3 minutes

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The No. 12 Auburn Tigers passed its first test of the week on Wednesday by blasting No. 11 South Carolina, 101-61. Can the Tigers earn another crucial win on Saturday by taking down No. 20 Kentucky?

The game has plenty of pageantry surrounding it. Students are camping in front of Neville Arena, College Gameday will be on the Plains, and ticket prices are through the roof. A win would be valuable to its NCAA Tournament resume, and all of the pieces appear to be on the table.

Kentucky has not lived up to the hype to this point in the season, as they enter the game with a 17-7 record with a 7-4 mark in SEC play. They have also had a rough time playing in Neville Arena recently as losers of three-straight games in the venue.

Despite the rough patch, Auburn will still need to play its best game on Saturday to earn a win. Can they get it done? Here’s a look at how Auburn stacks up with Kentucky ahead of Saturday’s showdown.

Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

AUBURN		KENTUCKY
20-5 (9-3)	Record (SEC)	17-7 (7-4)
No. 12	Coaches Poll	No. 20
No. 13	AP Poll	No. 22
No. 3	SEC	No. 6
No. 6	NET	No. 24
No. 4	KenPom	No. 26
No. 5	ESPN BPI	No. 24

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

AUBURN		KENTUCKY
83.1	Points per game	88.9
66.9	Points allowed per game	78.1
38.9	Rebounds per game	38.7
18.0	Assists per game	17.7
Johni Broome (16.2)	Leading scorer	Antonio Reeves (19.4)
Johni Broome (8.4)	Leading rebounder	Tre Mitchell (7.5)
Tre Donaldson (3.5)	Leading assists	Reed Sheppard (4.2)

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

AUBURN		KENTUCKY
2-4	Quad 1	2-5
7-1	Quad 2	4-1
6-0	Quad 3	5-1
5-0	Quad 4	6-0
12-0	Home record	13-1
7-5	Away/Neutral record	8-2
Alabama (No. 5 in NET)	Best win	North Carolina (No. 11 in NET)

Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

Auburn has proven time and time again that they are at their best when Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome are playing at a high level. It is a given that Brome will score 10 or more points per game, no matter the circumstance. However, the Tigers’ potential climbs when Williams reaches double-figures. Auburn is 5-4 this season when Williams is held to less than 10 points in a game and is 8-0 when Williams scores more than 20.

In a game where Auburn must match with Kentucky every step of the way, it will be important for Broome and Williams to play a “typical game” and grab control of the game early.

[aubiefifty 16,791]

247sports.com

PMARSHONAU A different kind of challenge is ahead for the Tigers

Phillip Marshall

3–4 minutes

If there is one thing we have learned in the SEC this basketball season, it is that what happened in your last game doesn’t mean much in you next game.

Auburn looked like an unstoppable force in smashing No. 11 South Carolina 101-61 on Wednesday night. Four days earlier it looked shaky in losing  81-65 at Florida three days after blowing out Alabama. Tennessee hammered Kentucky in Lexington and then was hammered at Texas A&M. It beat Alabama at home and then lost at home to South Carolina.

What Auburn did against South Carolina won’t likely be repeated. Saturday, back at Auburn Arena, the Tigers will face a Kentucky team that is bigger, more athletic, more talented and extremely hungry for a statement win.

I look for Bruce Pearl’s Tigers to have their hands full. I believe he looks for that, too.

For all the criticism aimed at Kentucky, the Wildcats are one game behind Auburn and South Carolina and two games behind first-place Alabama. Yes, they have struggled mightily on the defensive end, but it’s not because they lack talent.

Winning at Neville Arena is a massive challenge, one not many SEC teams have been able to meet in recent seasons. Since Bruce Pearl arrived, that has included Kentucky and head coach John Calipari. Kentucky is 1-5 against Pearl-coached Auburn teams at Neville Arena.

Pearl pointed out after the game that so much depends on matchups. South Carolina is one of best stories in college basketball this season, but it did not present the kinds of matchup challenges that Saturday’s game will.

Auburn probably will not shoot 61 percent from the field. Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams probably won’t combine to make nine 3-point shots. Pearl said he doesn’t expect Auburn’s defensive style to disrupt Kentucky in the same way it disrupted South Carolina.

For Pearl, keeping his players focused on the task at hand amid the excitement on campus as College Gameday comes to town might be a challenge of its own.

Kentucky’s 75-63 victory over Ole Miss that broke a three-game Rupp Arena losing streak on Tuesday was impressive in a few ways. Most impressive was Ugonna Onyenso’s 10 blocked shots. The Wildcats actually played decent defense, though Ole Miss missed a bunch of open shots.

One thing that stood out to me was the Wildcats’ pace. They didn’t just run on misses. They grabbed the ball out of the net and ran on makes, too. It seemed like Ole Miss got tired. Whether they will do that against Auburn and its depth, I don’t know.

The moral of this story is that Kentucky can create matchup problems that Alabama couldn’t and that South Carolina couldn’t.

I expect the Tigers to win, but I also expect it to be difficult. If that happens, if the Tigers win the game, I expect them to be in the race for the regular-season championship until the last day.