Auburn Wire goes ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ with UK Wildcats Wire ahead of Saturday’s showdown
The No. 12 Auburn Tigers earned a huge win on Wednesday by defeating No. 11 South Carolina by 40 points in front of the home crowd at Neville Arena. Can the Tigers earn another quadrant 1 win over a ranked opponent for the second-straight game?
They will get the opportunity on Saturday as they host No. 20 Kentucky. Auburn will have the nation’s eyes thrust upon them as College Gameday will broadcast live from Neville Arena before making way for a primetime broadcast of the contest on ESPN.
Auburn is the lone team to remain unbeaten at home and will have a chance to push its home record to 14-0 this season against Kentucky on Saturday, and has the chance to extend its home win streak over the Wildcats to four games.
Can they get the job done? To better understand Auburn’s odds of accomplishing that goal, we called upon Vance Meek of our new College Wire Network site, UK Wildcats Wire. In this edition of Behind Enemy Lines, the topics of hot-shooting offenses, bouncing back, and the warmth of John Calipari’s seat are discussed.
Here’s this week’s edition of Behind Enemy Lines with Vance Meek of UK Wildcats Wire.
Getting back on track
The Wildcats beat Ole Miss on Tuesday, 75-63, to snap a three-game home losing streak. What went right for Kentucky in the win?
The defense played…well. It was probably their best defensive effort of the season, and it wasn’t just the blocked shots. Their effort on that end showed up on every trip. The occasional breakdowns still showed up, but they fought through screens, went hard after rebounds, and didn’t let themselves get bullied.
Sharp shooter
Kentucky is one of the best offensive teams in the SEC and is exceptional at shooting three-pointers. Which players have led the offensive charge this season, and what makes them such a force on the floor?
It’s really the guards as a whole, and can change from night to night. Antonio Reeves is a sniper, and leads the team in scoring. His development from last year has been remarkable. He is still deadly from three, but now scores easily in the paint. Rob Dillingham is a star in the making. He’s one of the quickest players in the country, and if he’s on, he can light it up.
Trying to keep up
Auburn is known for having a deep bench this season. How has Kentucky faired against teams that have a heavy rotation this season?
The Wildcats have been short-handed for most of the season, and it has factored in. Against Florida, in particular, coach John Calipari specifically mentioned that his guys were exhausted. If everyone plays, it won’t bother them much, though.
Painting a positive picture
Head coach John Calipari has faced scrutiny this season due to several losses. How is he viewed in Lexington?
Kentucky fans have a love/hate relationship with Coach Cal. Fans love the top 3 recruiting classes year in and year out, but the criticism of his in-game coaching is fairly common. There’s a large group of fans that think the game has passed him by. Those same people, though, want those top recruits.
Can Cal be saved?
If Kentucky were to win on Saturday at Neville Arena, would the vibes surrounding Calipari change for the better?
Probably, but also probably just temporarily. It’s essentially championship or bust in Lexington, and fans who think he should have won more than just one championship already won’t be sated by anything less.
Think outside the box
What does Kentucky need to do well to win on Saturday?
They have to box out and rebound. In games they’ve lost, they’ve invariably given up a ton of second chance points. The Kentucky bigs cannot allow themselves to be pushed around, something that has been a problem this year The offense will take care of itself, but they have to bring the same intensity on defense and in the paint.
Cats on top
What is your final score prediction?
I think Kentucky needs this one in a bad way, and I think it stays close. I’ll say Kentucky 79 – Auburn 76 in a game that the Cats are up for as much as they have been for a game this year.
