No. 14 UK (13-3, 3-1) v. Auburn (7-8, 1-3)

 

Tipoff: Saturday, 4 p.m., Auburn Arena, Auburn, Ala. TV: ESPN Radio: UK Radio Network

Three points of emphasis for the UK-Auburn game on Saturday.

Auburn has lost its last three games by an average of 15 points and ranks last in the SEC and 141st in Division I for opponent points per game (77.7). The Tigers are turning the ball over at a disastrous rate, getting out-rebounded by a wide margin and struggling to score.

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl will have to rely on junior guard Kareem Canty to carry the Tigers on Saturday. Canty is a scoring guard who is also an excellent passer — he averages 18.5 ppg (4th in SEC) and 5.7 apg (3rd in SEC).

With Pearl and the Tigers needing some momentum heading into the thick of conference play, a home win over No. 14 UK would be exactly what they need to get the ball rolling in the right direction. Auburn’s best wins are over Tennessee (8-7) and Mercer (12-4).

 

Add a UK win to their resume and the Tigers NCAA Tournament hopes won’t be totally diminished.

Tyler Ulis, Isaiah Briscoe and Jamal Murray have, for the most part, carried UK to its last three victories. The trio are UK’s three leading scorers and combine for nearly 55 percent of UK’s 77.8 ppg. Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland lauded the UK backcourt after losing 80-74 at Rupp Arena.

“I thought we showed some good toughness and again, the two guys that hurt us most were their two best players, Ulis and Murray,” Howland said. “They are very, very good guards and about as good of a back court as you will find in the country, like I said going into the game.”

It wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see the three UK guards excel in another conference game, especially while the Cats’ big men are still battling consistency. Ulis, Briscoe and Murray are all starting to catch fire at the right time, a scary sight for future opponents.

In UK’s 18-point loss at LSU, the Cats were picked apart by the pick-and-roll. LSU got basically whatever it wanted on offense because the UK defense lacked fundamentals. Since that loss on Jan. 5, every team UK has faced has gone to the pick-and role in attempt to break down the Cats’ defense and pick up some easy baskets.

Head coach John Calipari has made an effort to correct that error, and said after the Mississippi State game he’s spending extra time working on it everyday in practice.

“Every day we’re doing 15 minutes of screening, just teaching them how to screen,” Calipari said. “And I know you may look at that and say you guys are a Division I basketball team, and you’re spending 15 minutes a day on screening? Yes, we are, every day.”