Three Things to Know about the Auburn Tigers

Kentucky basketball just faced a Georgia team that was desperate to get a win. Well, they got one, and now the Wildcats will be taking on another team that is looking to get back on track in the Auburn Tigers. New head coach Steven Pearl has had a roller-coaster of a season so far, following up a four-game win streak with losing five in a row.

As we enter Saturday's game, there are some intriguing things about this Auburn team that makes them a dangerous matchup. Here are three things Kentucky fans need to know about the Tigers before the two teams face each other.

Rely heavily on scoring off second chances, free-throws

The Auburn Tigers are elite at two areas on the offensive end, and that is both second-chance points and free throws. As for getting to the line, Auburn ranks as #17 in college basketball at the percentage of total points coming from free-throws. In fact, in conference play, the Tigers rank 1st in the SEC in that category. Auburn is shooting the ball at a 75.8 percent clip through 13 SEC games. Forward Keyshawn Hall is a big reason for that because he is 22nd nationally in fouls drawn per game and 2nd in the SEC. Not just that, but he is also 33rd nationally in free-throw rate, while fellow teammate Sebastian Williams-Adams is 23rd there.

As far as second-chance points, Auburn ranks 8th nationally in offensive rebounds, an excellent rate for getting those important boards off of misses. Take their last game, for example. The Tigers put up 85 points. They were able to get 21 second-chance points off of 17 offensive rebounds.

Very exploitable three-point defense

This is an area where the Kentucky Wildcats can really take advantage of. In SEC play, Kentucky is shooting the highest percentage of anyone in the conference, letting it fly at a 36.7 percent clip. That is very impressive, and they can keep that hot shooting going against the worst three-point defense in the SEC. Auburn is letting their opponents shoot 40 percent in conference play. Last time out, the Tigers lead Mississippi State go 16-30 there, a team that came in shooting it at 31 percent. On the other hand, Auburn can be dangerous defensively thanks to being scrappy, as they are 3rd in the SEC in steals. Against Mississippi State, all of the Bulldogs' turnovers came off of those.

Don't let their losing streak fool you

Auburn will really be looking to bounce back after losing five games in a row. Right now, the Tigers sit as an 8 seed in ESPN's bracketology and with five games left, they will need to get back on track fast. But in their losing streak, they have lost to good teams in the SEC. Alabama, Vandy, Tennessee and Arkansas are all seen as some of the best teams in the conference. They also picked up wins over Arkansas and Florida earlier in conference play. Don't let their losing streak fool you, because they have some talented personnel as well. Tahaad Pettiford is an electric guard that is going to look to make some incredible plays, while both Keyshawn Hall and KeShawn Murphy are excellent at getting to the rim. Hall is 6th in the SEC in free throw rate, while Murphy is 22nd.

The Wildcats will be looking to not be a victim this time around and hold off Auburn from getting a much-needed win as the final stretch of the regular season continues.