Auburn has gotten accustomed to playing in big games against Kentucky. From big regular season matchups in Auburn Arena or Rupp Arena to the Elite Eight matchup, Auburn and Kentucky has turned into somewhat of a rivalry over the past five or six years.
Since 2016 Auburn is 5-5 against Kentucky. The teams split the series in 2021, with Auburn winning 66-59 at home and Kentucky winning 82-80 at home.
This year, the lone matchup is Saturday in Auburn Arena.
But it's also a different Kentucky team than Bruce Pearl is used to.
"Good team. Really good team," Pearl said. "You look at their offensive numbers, they're different than most Kentucky teams I've coached against. It's the No. 1 offense in our league. No. 1 in assists. Their transition offense is the best."
Holding down the inside and leading the nation in rebounding for Kentucky is Oscar Tshiebwe, who is set to present a major challenge for Walker Kessler, Dylan Cardwell and the rest of Auburn's frontcourt.
"The big kid in the middle could be the player of the year in the country," Pearl said. "Best rebounder in the country that we've seen in a long, long time. Athletic forwards that will be excited about trying to guard Jabari Smith and see if they can shut off his water."
Kentucky's backcourt duo of TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler is also set to be a major matchup to watch going against Zep Jasper, K.D. Johnson and Wendell Green Jr.
"He can do it all," Pearl said about Washington. "You know, he can do it all. Not afraid of the moment either. And then Wheeler is such an unusual coverage because he's so fast. He's a lot like Wendell. He doesn't shoot it like Wendell, but he can get downhill like Wendell."
Playing in Auburn's favor is set to be potentially the most raucous home environment in Auburn Arena history, with students setting up tents and lining up outside over 24 hours in advance of the game.
"Look, we're going into a hostile environment. It's going to be a really hard game," Kentucky head coach John Calipari said.
Saturday's game is set for noon CT and is available on CBS.
"It's great that on a Saturday in the middle of January, all eyes of the country will be on Auburn, Alabama, on CBS, on a Saturday afternoon. And it'll be for men's basketball," Pearl said. "That's something that you might not have said a few years ago."
