Auburn podcaster doesn't believe the home atmosphere will be good against Kentucky

What will the environment be like for Kentucky on Saturday in Auburn.

Jan 31, 2026; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena. Kentucky won 85-77. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

On Saturday, two desperate basketball teams will meet on the hardwood in Auburn, Alabama. Kentucky will take on the Auburn Tigers with a two-game losing streak on their back, but the Tigers are on a five-game losing streak of their own. Both of these teams need this win, or they will inch closer to the bubble.

Auburn basketball doesn’t have the history Kentucky does, but the Tigers have been very successful of late. For the first time in a while, things are not going well in Auburn. Bruce Pearl is done coaching, and his son Steven has taken over.

Most Kentucky fans figure Mark Pope and the Wildcats will be walking into a crazy environment on Saturday but perhaps that will not be the case. After the Tigers took a loss to Mississippi State on Friday, Zac Blackerby and Darrell Dapprich of the Locked On Auburn Podcast talked about the environment for the Tigers at home on Saturday against the Wildcats.

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope reacts during the first half of a NCAA mens basketball game at Steven C. O'Connell Center Exactek arena in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, February 14, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] | Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Here is what Dapprich had to say about the environment, “Apathetic, I think they're not going to be as loud as they typically are. I think you’re going to see some empty seats. I think you’re going to see some people who were on the bandwagon with Auburn basketball the last five years because of all this success, just be indifferent, not even show up. That’s how I feel. Because Auburn is not a traditional basketball school where people understand the ebbs and flows of seasons and cycles. I’m not being judgy when I say that, but I would be shocked if that place is full throat Saturday, and when I’m there on Saturday, there will be a lot of empty seats. I think some people that are season ticket holders and big basketball fans and big basketball boosters after tonight (loss to Mississippi State) have thrown in the towel on this season.”

Whether the atmosphere is crazy or lackluster, the Kentucky Wildcats are getting ready to play a very difficult game. The Auburn Tigers have a player in Keyshawn Hall who is one of the best players in the SEC. The Tigers also have guard Tahaad Pettiford, who is starting to play much better basketball.

The Wildcats will need a big game out of their guards to score the ball and slow Hall and Pettiford. If the atmosphere isn’t crazy, that would surprise Big Blue Nation, but no matter the energy in the gym, the Wildcats have to win this ballgame.