After playing three of its last four games at home the UK women’s basketball team brings its six-game winning streak to Memorial Coliseum.

That might be ominous news for the visiting Auburn Tigers Thursday night, as No.16 UK is 28-1 in its last 29 games at home.

But winning at home and streaks aside, the Cats are in the midst of a crucial Southeastern Conference stretch. Both Auburn (13-8, 6-2 SEC) and UK (17-4, 6-2) are tied at second in the conference.

“Thursday is a big game for us,” UK head coach Matthew Mitchell said. “Auburn and Kentucky are tied in the standings and both are coming in here with two losses, so it’s getting to that time of year where a game like this carries great significance.”

Part of the reason Auburn has found success in the SEC is its dominating defense. In three of Auburns last four games the Tigers have held their opposition to under 54 points.

“In getting prepared for Auburn, we noticed that they are a very good defensive team,” Mitchell said. “They really make it tough for people in conference to score and that will be a big challenge for us.”

Thursday night’s game could be a clash of an offensive minded team versus a defense team, with the Cats being the scorers.

In its last three games UK has averaged 78 points per game.

But Mitchell isn’t quick to label Auburn as just a distinguished defensive team, he admits the team has players who can score.

“They have some very good veteran players that know how to score in a game like this,” Mitchell said. “We have a lot of respect for Auburn to come in here tomorrow night playing well and expect it to be a big test for us.”