| Wildcats hope to keep good times rolling in tussle with Tigers |
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| === Wildcats hope to keep good times rolling in tussle with Tigers === Auburn, AL (Sports Network) - Off to their best start since the 1966 season, the second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats put their perfect 17-0 mark on the line this afternoon, as they take on the Auburn Tigers in SEC action from the Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. John Calipari's first year in Lexington has gone quite well, as he has yet to taste defeat. Following a flawless non-conference slate, Kentucky has followed with wins over Georgia (76-68) and Florida (89-77) in SEC play. The victories have run Calipari's dominance over league opponents (mostly Conference USA) to 63 straight wins including conference tournament games. Kentucky legend Adolph Rupp holds the NCAA record with 64 straight SEC wins from 1945-50. Jeff Lebo's Tigers are still in search of their first conference victory, having dropped back-to-back games to South Carolina (80-71) and Tennessee (81-55) in the last seven days. This is the 101st meeting between these two teams. Kentucky holds an 83-17 advantage in the series all-time and has won 10 straight meetings and 24 of the last 25 overall. It was once again a Kentucky freshman guard that did in the competition, but in Gainesville it was not John Wall. Fellow freshman Eric Bledsoe erupted for a career-high 25 points. Wall was right behind with 19 points, while Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins chipped in with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Kentucky dominated the Gators, shooting .514 from the field, while limiting Florida to just a .382 shooting clip. It isn't hard to see how Kentucky has run the table thus far. The team is getting it done in every facet of the game, shooting .499 overall and putting up 82.8 ppg. In addition, the team is outrebounding foes by 10.2 rebounds per outing and forcing just over 15 turnovers per game. Wall is not only the best freshman in the country, but very well may be the best player overall, shooting .497 from the floor. He is netting 17.3 ppg and ranks first in the SEC and second nationally with 7.1 assists per game. Patterson (16.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and Cousins (15.3 ppg, 9.2 rpg) are a devastating low post tandem. Bledsoe (11.3 ppg) adds to the team's perimeter depth. The Tigers are a solid offensive team, despite getting completely blown out at Tennessee this week. The team is still averaging an impressive 76.4 ppg on the year, on a decent .450 shooting percentage. Scoring depth is apparent, as four of the five starters are averaging double figures. DeWayne Reed is the leader on the court, pacing the team in both scoring (16.1 ppg) and assists (77). Frankie Sullivan is next in the scoring column (13.6 ppg) and is followed closely by Lucas Hargrove (13.1 ppg) and Tay Waller (12.3 ppg). Reed led the way in the lopsided loss to Tennessee with 19 points. Sullivan added 14 points and Hargrove 10, but it wasn't nearly enough, as Auburn converted just 30.4 percent of its shots, including a mere 26.3 percent in the second half. Auburn attempted a whopping 35 three-point attempts in the game, but could convert only 11, including a 1-of-11 effort over the final 20 minutes. In addition, Auburn really struggled down low, where the Volunteers outscored them 48-12 in the paint. 01/16 10:48:21 ET |
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