Auburn vs. Kentucky Expert Pick and Prediction – March 1, 2025

AUBURN VS. KENTUCKY EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTION – March 1, 2025 — Auburn has its goals in sight: nail down the SEC regular season title, secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and get itself ready to make a run at the national title.

Kentucky’s looking to prove itself against someone not named Tennessee. The Wildcats have played well at times, but they’ve been far more inconsistent than they would like. They haven’t taken any bad losses because it’s hard to take bad losses in the SEC, but they also haven’t hit their ceiling.

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Auburn’s ceiling is clear: The Tigers have perhaps the best roster in the nation. They’ve been dominant inside the country’s deepest conference, and they’re certainly going to be a threat to make a run at the title this month. And they’ve now won 19 of their past 20 games, only falling to Florida in that stretch. So this serves as a measuring stick for both teams.

Are the Wildcats ready to reach their high ceiling? Are the Tigers ready to get everyone’s best shot for the rest of the season? We’ll get an idea in Lexington.

The Odds

Tipoff

When: Saturday, March 1 at 1 p.m.

Where: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Ky.

TV: ABC

Public Bets: Unavailable

Public Money: Unavailable

Auburn vs. Kentucky In-Season Trends

Can Auburn finally get the job done in Lexington? This has been a tough place for the Tigers, who are just 1-4 in their past five visits to Kentucky and got the only win in overtime. Kentucky has actually won three straight against Auburn, as the Wildcats won the only meeting last year on the road.

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It’s been tough for Auburn to cover because the Tigers are usually giving double digits. That’s been the case in each of Auburn’s past three games, and the Tigers went just 1-2 ATS in that stretch. They’ve covered three straight when giving single digits, and the exception was still a win, a two-point victory over Tennessee.

The Difference-Makers

Stopping Johni Broome is going to take a team effort, and it’s really going to have a lot to do with preventing second chance points. Rebounding has long been a hallmark of Kentucky basketball, and Amari Williams is going to have to make his mark on this game.

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Of course, stopping Broome is one of the hardest jobs in college basketball. He’s averaging a double-double for a reason, and he just scored 31 points on a desperate Georgia team. He’s going to get his numbers; the question is whether Kentucky can keep him from blowing the game open.

The Pick

Auburn really shoots the ball too well to expect Kentucky to pull this off. The Wildcats’ biggest weakness is that they allow too many shots and count on themselves to get the rebound. But there are no rebounds if you make your shots, and Auburn usually does.

The Wildcats will push the tempo here, which probably works to their detriment. Auburn isn’t Alabama by any means, but it knows how to play that way and doesn’t mind it at all. The Tigers should earn the win here.