Ahead of No. 14 Auburn's matchup with No. 12 Kentucky (3 p.m. CST, ESPN), The Plainsman posed questions for Chase Campbell, assistant sports editor for the Kentucky Kernel. Here's how sees the action playing out inside Auburn Arena.
1. What should Kentucky's biggest advantage in this game be?
UK's biggest advantage will be their presence on the offensive glass. Reid Travis and PJ Washington love cleaning up messes, and Auburn is 306th in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage, according to KenPom. UK is ninth in offensive rebound percentage. Second chance points for UK will be a major player in this one.
2. What were expectations like in Lexington before the season? Are things going as most projected?
Expectations are nearly impossible to meet in Lexington. As usual, everyone hated the start, everyone loves the breakout player, and the usual expectation is a Final Four. Is this team there yet? Absolutely not. They're getting there, though. Progression for everyone not named Ashton Hagans will be necessary.
3. Who needs to have a breakout game to seal a Wildcats win?
EJ Montgomery has the chance to put Auburn in the ground if he plays to his full potential. He's a lanky 6-11, loves getting on the offensive glass and can stretch his jumper to near the three-point line. If he cleans up his defense and is a consistent glass presence, with everyone else having a normal game, this one wouldn't be close. Unfortunately for Montgomery, he's not there yet. However, he was committed to be a Tiger, so he might have Hagans' homecoming bug.
4. Game prediction?
This one's really tough to call because of the sporadic three-point defense. I do think that it'll be an emphasis, and since Nick Richards is on a defensive upswing to counteract Austin Wiley, I see this one being very, very close. Samir Doughty makes a three off a Harper pass at the buzzer (he'll likely be guarded by Keldon Johnson). 83-81, Auburn.
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Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
