One Player No. 1 Auburn Must Stop to Beat No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats

The No. 1 Auburn Tigers are set to take on the No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday afternoon in a place that has represented a house of horrors from them. The one-sided series has evened up in recent years, but the Tigers still have not won in Lexington in almost 40 years.

If they’re going to beat the Wildcats on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. EST, they’ll need to slow down Kentucky shooting guard Otega Oweh.

Auburn presents a massive challenge that could define his team. Meanwhile, the Tigers, with a rematch against Alabama looming next week, cannot look ahead. Otega and the Wildcats want to shock the SEC and send Auburn home with a loss.

Does UK's leading scorer bring enough to the court to stop Bruce Pearl's team? If so, how should Auburn attempt to contain him?

Mindset

One thing Auburn cannot try is to affect Oweh's mindset. By the same token, attempting to bully him physically will not work. He's accustomed to the physicality. Oweh's older brother, Odafe, starts at outside linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens.

As a result, the little extra nudges will be met with resistance, as he heads down the lane. On Wednesday, the Kentucky two-guard returned to Oklahoma where he played two seasons for the Sooners.

With the OU fanbase jeering their former standout, Oweh took over. He scored the final 18 points of the game. Under those circumstances, trying to push him around may not work.

Otega Oweh with an ALL-TIME performance against his former team🔥

• 18 STRAIGHT points
• Only Kentucky player to score under the 9-minute mark
• Game-winning bucket
• Game-winning block
• Finished with a career-high 28 PTS! pic.twitter.com/Cl8QiLDApb
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) February 27, 2025

Surrender the Arc

Oweh's game hinges on aggression. He has the ability to get to the paint and score after blurring past defenders. Meanwhile, allowing him to shoot the three should not adversely affect Auburn. Oweh connects on 33.8% of his three, but shoots just 2.3 of them each game.

Giving him space and not crowding him, cuts off his ability to drive the ball. Under those circumstances, this forces the ball out of his hands and into teammates that don't possess the same scoring touch. If the UK guard gets a step on a defender, the Tigers' rim protector will inevitably send it back.

Feed Miles

Miles Kelly, who Oweh will presumably guard, needs increased touches during the game. Being a little more ball dominant will force the handsy Wildcat (2.5 fouls per game) to play tougher defense. Kelly doesn't shoot the ball often, relying more on efficiency than volume.

His .420 connection clip is the best of his career. Additionally, Kelly's ability to attack the glass, pushes Oweh closer to the glass. In his last four games, the Auburn senior averaged 6.7 rebounds per game.

Overview

While Otega Oweh could be the toughest opponent in regards to mental approach that Auburn will see until the tournament, he isn't infallible. The lack of outside touch and timing plays into the Tigers hands. Forcing him to rely on his jump shot will hurt the Wildcats. Rash decisions with the ball will ensue and Auburn should emerge from Lexington with yet another SEC victory.

SERIES NOTES

» This is the 122nd all-time meeting between Auburn and Kentucky. The two teams have split the last eight games in the series.

» Auburn is 5-2 in the series’ last seven games played at Neville Arena including winning three-straight home games against Kentucky prior to last season. The Wildcats defeated the Tigers 70-59 in Neville Arena last season. Auburn knocked off Kentucky 77-71 in overtime in the 2019 Midwest Regional Final to advance to the first Final Four in program history.

» Kentucky holds a 98-23 advantage in the all-time series with Auburn including 32-18 in games played on the Plains and 6-4 at Neville Arena. However, the Wildcats lead 51-2 all-time in Lexington (31-2 at Rupp Arena) including 20-straight home victories in the series since the Tigers edged the top-ranked Wildcats on a John Caylor 3-pointer in the final seconds, 53-52, on Jan. 9, 1988.

» It is the Tigers’ longest road drought (37 years) in SEC play ahead of at Florida (29 years).

» Auburn’s only other win at Kentucky was a 75-67 triumph over the sixth-ranked Wildcats on Jan. 15, 1983. Both of AU’s wins at UK came under the direction of former head coach Sonny Smith.