Auburn @ Kentucky preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 19, 2019 ) Kentucky 82, Auburn 80

Fourth-ranked Kentucky will be without one of its top scorers and rebounders when it hosts Auburn on Saturday in an SEC game. Reid Travis, a graduate student forward who averages 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds, sprained his right knee in Tuesday's 66-58 victory at Missouri and it doesn't appear he'll be back in time for the showdown at No. 5 Tennessee next Saturday that could decide the conference regular-season title.

"One guy's misery is another guy's opportunity," Kentucky coach John Calipari told reporters. "I think what you're going to see is we're different, this is a different team now." The Wildcats are tied with No. 15 LSU for second place in the SEC, one game behind the Volunteers, with five conference contests remaining. Auburn is coming off a 79-56 victory over Arkansas on Wednesday and is tied for sixth in the SEC with fourth place - and a double-bye in the conference tournament - within reach. "... We got closer (to our best basketball) when you put the offense and defense together and the shooting to playing better against a decent opponent,” Tigers coach Bruce Pearl told reporters. “The question is can we build on it? And we have to.”

TV: 1:30 p.m. ET, CBS

ABOUT AUBURN (18-8, 7-6 SEC): Senior guard Bryce Brown (team-high 16.3 points per game) has averaged 23 in his last two games against Kentucky, and is 73 points shy of moving into the top 10 in school history. Junior guard Jared Harper (15.2 points) is second in the conference in assists (6.2), and has assisted on 38 percent of the club's field goals this season. Sophomore forward Chuma Okeke (11.2 points, team-best 6.7 rebounds) is averaging 14 points and 8.6 rebounds in his last five games and has reached double-figure scoring in 10 of his last 11 contests.

ABOUT KENTUCKY (22-4, 11-2): Sophomore forward PJ Washington leads the team in scoring (14.9) and rebounding (8.0), averaging 20.7 points and 8.1 boards in his last nine games. Freshman guards Keldon Johnson (13.8 points, 5.3 rebounds) and Tyler Herro (13.5 points, 4.4 rebounds) are major contributors with Herro scoring 18 versus Missouri. Freshman forward EJ Montgomery (4.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 13.9 minutes) and sophomore forward Nick Richards (3.5, 3.0, 10.7) are expected to share the task of replacing Travis.

TIP-INS

1. Calipari has 297 wins at Kentucky, tying him with Joe B. Hall for second. Adolph Rupp is first with 876.

2. The Tigers have allowed fewer than 60 points nine times this season after recording only two such contests in 2017-18.

3. Kentucky leads the series 93-19, including 47-2 in Lexington, but the teams have split their last four meetings after the Wildcats survived 82-80 on Jan. 19 behind 20 points apiece from Johnson and Herro and despite 28 by Brown.

PREDICTION: Kentucky 81, Auburn 71