Mark Pope on #1 Auburn: "There's a lot to see that makes them so good"

The Kentucky Wildcats will be met with their toughest test of the season when the #1 Auburn Tigers come to Lexington on Saturday. The Tigers come into Saturday 26-2 on the season, with their lone losses coming against #2 Duke on the road in the beginning of December and #3 Florida in SEC play. Auburn is red-hot, and have been for much of the season.

Looking at their numbers and watching their games, there aren't very many areas of weakness for the Tigers coming into Saturday's big matchup. Mark Pope seems to agree, as he previewed the game with media in his press conference on Friday. Auburn brings a lot of physicality on the defensive end and the glass, with weapons all over on the court on offense.

"There's a lot to see that makes them so good. Bruce (Pearl) is doing his thing. He keeps it really, really simple and puts guys in a position play where they're really familiar with what they're doing, and they're really good at it. Most of the time he's got five guys on the floor that are all capable of putting up 20 on any given night. They're incredible shot-makers, they make really, really hard shots. Their frontline is really impactful on the offensive glass. They have a physicality and a creativity to their game that's really special."
Pope on Auburn.

The Tigers are led by National Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome, who is currently the favorite for the prestigious award. Broome has been tearing up his opponents all season, and hasn't slowed down one bit through Auburn's really tough schedule. On the season, he averages 18.8 points (3rd in SEC), 11.0 rebounds (1st in SEC, 5th nationally), 3.4 assists, including 2.5 blocks (1st in SEC) per game, of which he ranks 28th in the country in block percentage. Pope knows how elite of a big man he is.

"He's a terrific talent, he's a veteran guy. He's got that moxie to him, where he's actually playing the game. It's fun to watch him. Most teams don't send a second defender on him, in the post for example, but when guys do, you can see him actually enjoying the prospect of playing the game. Tricking guys, ball-faking, pivoting through, and no-look passes, and laser passes. ...He's really out there playing the game, enjoying the game. We talk about this all the time, most of us do the game, and he plays it. He plays at a really high level. It's hard to get him rushed, it's hard to get him sped up. He's got a whole bevy of junk shots that he makes around the rim, and he can space out the floor and make shots there. His speed, super, super physical, really creative."
Pope on Broome.

A big question entering the game is can Kentucky contain Johni Broome? He will be a major factor in Auburn's success, but the Tigers have plenty of weapons around him on the offensive end, and play very physical on the other end. Kentucky is going to need a big time atmosphere in Rupp Arena on Saturday. Auburn is looking for their first win in the building since 1988.