Kentucky took a tough loss on Tuesday night to Georgia, looking back it is a loss that is pretty inexcusable. You don't lose at home to the Bulldogs, it was only their 5th ever win in Rupp and first since 2009. But the good news is the games keep on coming and the Cats head to Auburn Saturday with a big chance to right the ship.
Here are 5 reasons Kentucky basketball will defeat the Auburn Tigers
1. Auburn's defense is bad
We touched on Kentucky's defense and how a change may be made with Mark Fox at the end of the year, but Auburn is a worse defensive team than Kentucky. They give up 79.5 points per game and allow teams to shoot an effective rate of 53.4%. Kentucky has been really good at picking apart bad defenses, and they should find whatever shot they want against Auburn.
2. Auburn doesn't share the ball well
Georgia torched the Cats with 20 assists; Auburn averages right at 13 per game. They are not going to come out and whip the ball around the horn and force multiple rotations. It is just not how they play. That should allow Kentucky to get comfortable on the defensive end, something they have not done in the last 2 losses to Georgia and Florida.
3. Auburn is not a pressure defense either
Kentucky is not good at turning teams over, the Cats are 126th in steals per game, that's the bad news. The good news is Auburn is pretty bad at it as well, they are 87th in the country. This means those bad turnovers that lead to easy points shouldn't happen as frequently as they did against Georgia.
4. Kentucky is pretty good at bouncing back
The Cats have 3 wins after losses this season, and one was on the road at Arkansas. They know what it takes to go on the road and get a win against a desperate team. They will do it again Saturday.
5. Auburn's second half defense is a nightmare
Kentucky is definitely a second-half team. They find themselves down almost every game in the first half; sometimes they can come back and get it going in the second, and sometimes they can't. Auburn, though, gives up 42 points per game in the second half (#324) while Kentucky scores 45 in the second half (#11). Strength meets weakness.
The Cats need a win, and I think they get it.