GAMEDAY: Kentucky Faces Tall Task at Auburn

by:Nick Roush•02/14/18•

@RoushKSR

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Andy Lyons | Getty Images [/caption]

Road Dogs

Ending the first three-game losing streak of the John Calipari era will not be easy. Kentucky tips-off at Auburn tonight at 9:00 as 8.5-point underdogs. The Tigers sit atop the SEC standings and at No. 10 in the AP Poll. Bruce Pearl has hosted John Calipari only once at Auburn -- Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray's squad fell 75-70 -- but Cal owns a 5-12 series lead vs. Pearl and Kentucky has a 30-14 advantage in the plains. Even though the Cats are fighting an uphill battle, they can easily pull off the upset because...

Kentucky had a Players Only Meeting

The cliched moment of truth many fans have been waiting for finally happened, kinda, sorta, in a way. It wasn't the kind of meeting you're probably envisioning. Quade Green said the team simply had a heart-to-heart on the bus ride home from Texas A&M. “My aspect, I think I’ve done a poor job [of leading],” Quade said. “Poor job trying to get the team together. Ever since we lost to Texas A&M, as a team we talked together so we’ve been on the same page ever since. Ever since that loss talking on the bus ride, we’ve been on the same page now.”

Will Bryce Brown be Back?

Probably. The Tigers' leading scorer (16.6 ppg, 5th in the SEC) missed Saturday's game at Georgia with a shoulder strain, but returned to practice on Monday in a non-contact capacity. Pearl said if Brown was good to go 100 percent on Tuesday, he'd play against UK. There's no doubt in my mind he'll be healthy enough to play in arguably Auburn's biggest game of the year.

Crossover Night on ESPN

Kentucky's primetime 9:00 tip-off highlights ESPN2's Crossover coverage. All night they are mixing up their broadcast combos with professional and collegiate announcers. Kentucky will be treated to the stylings of Adam Amin, P.J. Carlesimo, Dan Dakich and Laura Rutledge. If you'd rather just listen to Tom Leach and Mike Pratt, you can find them on the UK Sports Network, or Sirius-138 and XM-190. Here's a look at the full lineup for ESPN's Crossover Night:

7:00; ESPN2; Virginia Tech at Duke; Mark Jones, Hubie Brown, Jay Bilas, Allison Williams
8:00; ESPN; Clippers at Celtics; Ryan Ruocco, Dick Vitale, Mark Jackson, Lisa Salters
10:30; ESPN; Warriors at TrailBlazers; Dave Pasch, Bill Walton, Doris Burke, Cassidy Hubbarth

It's a White Out

For the second straight game, Kentucky is on the road, playing in the middle of a white out. Of course.

Today's Tale of the Tape

White is Gold

That was the call on NBC when Shaun White finished a beautiful gold medal performance in the men's halfpipe. https://twitter.com/NBCOlympics/status/963610913642233856 How did White celebrate? "Mountain Dews baby."