LEXINGTON, Ky. — When you examine the top 10 Auburn men’s basketball teams in program history, according to Sports Reference’s Simple Ratings System, six of them played road games at Kentucky. Each of those teams left Rupp Arena with a loss. The 1998-99 squad, ranked No. 4 nationally, fell by 10 points. The 2018-19 Final Four team lost by 27. The 2019-20 team, whose season was cut short by COVID, lost by seven. The 1985-86 Elite Eight team lost by 10. The 2022-23 team, which set the stage for Auburn’s current success, lost by 32. Even the 1958-59 team, which nearly went undefeated, lost by 19 in Lexington.
Auburn has only won twice at Kentucky. The first victory came on January 15, 1983, when a team led by a young Charles Barkley, despite finishing with a losing SEC record, pulled off an eight-point win. The second win came on January 9, 1988, when junior forward John Caylor hit one of the most iconic shots in Auburn history to upset the top-ranked Wildcats. Since then, Auburn has gone 0-20 at Rupp Arena over 37 years, with some of the program’s best teams coming up short.
This Saturday, however, Auburn has a chance to rewrite history. The Tigers, arguably the best team in program history, are poised to make a statement at Kentucky. Head coach Bruce Pearl acknowledged the daunting challenge Friday, saying, “Can you break the two wins and 31 losses at Rupp Arena record? Or 2-51 in Lexington, Kentucky? It’s just crazy math.”
But there’s more at stake than just program history. Auburn is one win away from clinching a championship in what many consider the toughest and deepest SEC season in modern college basketball history. With two wins in their final three games—or one more Alabama loss—the Tigers can secure an outright title. Auburn has also been ranked No. 1 in the country for six consecutive weeks, a feat only matched in the SEC by Kentucky.
This time, the Tigers enter Rupp Arena as the higher-ranked team and the clear favorites—a rare role reversal. Pearl, who has brought strong Auburn and Tennessee teams to Lexington without success, knows the challenge ahead. “They’ve always been great, and we’ve usually been not great,” Pearl said. “That’s why it’s 2-31. I’ve never not gone to a game at Kentucky where they didn’t get a good whistle. But they’ve earned it. You put 19,000 people every single night, you have a nationally ranked team, they’re gonna get a good whistle at home. You have to go in there and play great.”
This Auburn team, however, is built differently. Led by star Johni Broome and featuring a roster loaded with experienced seniors, the Tigers are the culmination of Pearl’s rebuilding efforts. They’ve lost just one Quad 1 game on the road and are a perfect 7-0 in SEC road games this season. For this group, a trip to Rupp Arena is less about fear and more about opportunity.
Kentucky, meanwhile, is in its first year under new head coach Mark Pope, a former Wildcats player. The team has no returning production from last season and has dealt with injuries and inconsistency. Despite a 9-loss season, Kentucky has shown it can rise to the occasion, with seven wins over top-15 teams, including victories over Duke and Florida—the only two teams to beat Auburn this season. The Wildcats have also lost just one Quad 1 game at home.
Adding to the intrigue, Kentucky has not won two games in a week since mid-December, consistently splitting its two-game SEC weeks. Auburn, on the other hand, is riding high after a dominant win over Ole Miss and is focused on making history. “This will be my first time playing at Rupp,” senior guard Denver Jones said. “Always seen it on TV. I can’t wait to go in there, execute the game plan, and just keep making history with this team.”
As Auburn prepares for this potentially historic showdown, the stakes couldn’t be higher. With an early tip-off Saturday, the Tigers have a chance to prove they’re not just the best team in Auburn history—but one capable of conquering Rupp Arena.
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