Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn said in November, after winning his second matchup in the last three tries against rival and national powerhouse Alabama, that he believes his players are some of the only ones in the country not scared of Nick Saban and the Tide.
Every time they square off, it's not just a hope; Auburn legitimately believes it has the talent to compete with and ultimately take down Alabama.
And Auburn basketball feels the same way about Kentucky as of late.
"We work hard. It shouldn't be a surprising win every time we beat good teams like Kentucky," Auburn center Austin Wiley said after the victory in January. "We've got good players, too, so they should get used to it."
Winners of two straight and four of the last seven in the series against John Calipari's Wildcats, Auburn (24-4, 11-4 SEC) has an opportunity to make even more history for itself Saturday inside Rupp Arena.
A win would be Auburn's first in Lexington since 1998 and just the team's third ever, and it would give the Tigers their first three-game winning streak over Kentucky in program history.
And the team's leaders know how crucial it is that Auburn can carry with it to Lexington a genuine belief that it can be victorious. Not all teams can do that.
“I think it is important because we see they're human," said Auburn senior big man Anfernee McLemore of why recent wins over UK are so crucial for his team.
McLemore said a lot of teams are "intimidated" by the sport's blue bloods, like Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky — which just so happen to be the three teams Auburn beat consecutively to make its first-ever Final Four last season.
"We both strap up our shoes the same way," McLemore said. "We can go out and compete with them."
In the first meeting — a 75-66 win for Auburn on Feb. 1 — the Tigers constricted star guard Ashton Hagans (five points, five fouls, six turnovers) and the frontcourt of Wiley and McLemore bested SEC Player of the Year candidate Nick Richards
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McLemore keyed both of those points — playing effectively against both Hagans and Richards — as "huge" for Auburn's success in the second matchup Saturday.
Pearl added that UK guard Immanuel Quickley has been dominating like an SEC Player of the Year candidate, as well, averaging 22 points per game in the Wildcats' seven straight victories since their loss at Auburn Arena.
The chips will be obviously be stacked against Auburn. The Tigers are just 2-48 in Lexington all-time, and the Wildcats will be amped for a chance to secure an SEC regular-season championship with a win in front of their home crowd. But the Tigers will still get off the bus at Rupp with their chins up and chests puffed out, knowing that, for them, victories over Kentucky are attainable.
“They obviously have a lot of talent, but we bring a lot of chips on our shoulders," McLemore said. "We can play hard, play together, play to win — and we showed we can compete with them on numerous occasions."
Tipoff in Rupp Arena is set for 2:45 p.m. CST on CBS.
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