Kentucky Basketball Preview – Know Your Enemy: Auburn Tigers
By Paul Jordan
GAME 16
January 11, 2011 – 7 PM
RUPP ARENA – Lexington, KY
AUBURN TIGERS (7-8) (0-1)
TV – ESPNU
SERIES HISTORY
Kentucky leads 84-17
RECENT GAMES
1/16/2010: KENTUCKY 72 Auburn 67
1/21/2009: KENTUCKY 73 Auburn 64
2/6/2008: KENTUCKY 66 Auburn 63
1/10/2007: KENTUCKY 84 Auburn 57
1/24/2006: KENTUCKY 71 Auburn 62
John Calipari and his Kentucky Wildcats are looking to “bounce back” from their upset loss to Georgia by facing the Auburn Tigers. It’s easy to dismiss this as an easy win for several reasons. The Tigers are just 8-7 on the seasdon and are coming off a game in which they trailed to woeful LSU Tigers 32-6 at the half. The Tigers already have losses on the season to North Carolina-Asheville, Samford, Mercer, Jacksonville and Presbyterian. But, the Tigers do have a win over the 11-4 Florida State Seminoles, so the Tigers are capable of knocking off a good team.
In addition, Calipari faces his former assistant at Memphis, Tony Barbee, who has threatened to go after Calipari and Kentucky’s “throat”. I don’t think you have to worry about the Tigers being amped and ready to play this game. And if you look at history, you see that the Kentucky/Auburn games are often closer than expected affairs. And keep in mind these Tigers do have a lot of fight in them, as they outscored LSU by 19 in the second half after that 32-6 debacle.
Kentucky does have history on their side as they have won the past eleven games in the series and have won 25 of the past 26 games. The Tigers have their work cut out for them if they are to end this streak, but lets take a look at the Tigers. Due to injuries and such, the Tigers have not fielded a consistent starting lineup, but here is my guess at to what we will see on Tuesday.
THE STARTERS
#11 – G – JOSH WALLACE – SO – 5’10 -160
5.4 ppg, 4.4 apg, 2.2 rpg
#33 – G – EARNEST ROSS – SO – 6’5 – 215
13 ppg, 6.9 rpb, 2.1 apg
#23 – G – FRANKIE SULLIVAN – JR – 6’1 – 195
8.2 ppg, 3 apg, 1.2 rpg
#0 – G – JOSH LANGFORD – FR – 6’7 – 207
5.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.5 apg
#41 – C – ROB CHUBB – SO – 6’10, 222
8.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.3 apg
BACK COURT
Josh Wallace is not a big scoring threat for the Tigers, as he has just one game in double digits on the season. He is not that accurate from the field, hitting 36.8% on the season, and he rarely attempts three pointers. Wallace is the best passer on the team by far and has an 2.10 A/TO ratio and is also a pretty good defender, leading the team in steals. We seem to say this every week, but look for Kentucky’s length to give Wallace problems. Wallace is actually a former walk on. Earnest Ross is the top scoring shot for the Tigers and he never met a shot opportunity he did not like. On the season, Ross is hitting 38.4% of his shots and 29.6% of his treys. Against LSU, he hit 5-15 trey attempts, but he normally does not shoot that much. Despite being 6’5, Ross leads the team in rebounds and has three double doubles on the season. Frankie Sullivan is the one holdover from last season’s Tiger squad, but he has been sideline much of the year with a knee injury. If he is able to play, he will start, as the Tigers are 4-2 with him in the lineup. Sullivan still has quite a bit of rust on him and he missed the LSU game after playing the previous six games. Sullivan has not regained his 3-point touch yet as he is hitting just 28.6%.
FRONT COURT
Lately, the Tigers have been playing a four guard lineup with Sullivan and Josh Langford has been playing the four position. Langford has the ability to score points, as he has three double digit games, and he is pretty effective from the outside, hitting 44% of his treys. Despite his size, he is not much of a rebounder. Rob Chubb has been the muscle in the post for the Tigers and I have to admit, the owner of my favorite name of 2011. Chubb is actually a decent scorer near the basket, hitting 49% of his shots and he has scored in double digits in eight games thus far. Chubb is also a decent rebounder but tends to disappear from time to time on the boards. If Sullivan does not play, then Allen Payne will start at the four position and everyone will just shift over a bit. Payne is a 6’6 Freshman that is averaging 5.7 points and 2.9 boards a game. Payne is not a huge threat to score, but he is a decent defender. 6’8 F Kenny Gabriel has been in and out of the starting lineup this season and has actually played well, averaging 9.3 ppg and 5.9 boards a game. Gabriel is a good shot blocker but at 6’8, 190, is painfully thin to be a bruiser near the basket.
OUTLOOK
I know that the Tigers did knock off the Florida State Seminoles this season but that was with Frankie Sullivan at the point, and to be honest, it looks as if Sullivan may not be available. And that is part of the reason with the Tigers this season. There really has been no consistency in the lineup in regards to who starts and
who does not. This preview actually took me about twice the time of other previews due to trying to determine what the starting line up may be.
To be honest, I really don’t see one player for Auburn, aside from Sullivan and maybe Ross who would get consistent minutes on this Kentucky team.. When Tony Barbee took over, he took over a bad team and at this point, he does not have the guns or the talent to compete with Kentucky at Rupp. Plus, there is no way, Kentucky will fall to 0-2 in the SEC. I know that Auburn usually does give Kentucky more of a game than expected, but don’t see this being a real challenge for UK. Let’s say Kentucky wins 91-67.
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