Auburn has not won at Rupp Arena since 1987 but is 4-2 against UK in last six games

Bruce Pearl wants his team to respect but not fear Kentucky. (Vicky Graff Photo)

Auburn has played 49 basketball games in Rupp Arena. The Tigers have won TWO.

The Tigers won 75-71 at Rupp Arena in 1987 and 81-71 at Kentucky in 1986. That’s it.

Think about this: Auburn coach Bruce Pearl was an assistant coach at Iowa the last time Auburn won in Lexington and the U.S. president was Ronald Reagan.

However, Pearl is not going to let his team dwell on past history. Instead, he’s reminding them of recent history against UK and coach John Calipari. Auburn has won four of the last six in the series.

“We talk about the fact that we haven’t won there in 35 years, but also remind them we’ve beaten them in four of the last six,” Pearl said Friday. “I want them to have the confidence from the standpoint that we respect Kentucky, respect their history, and I’m very proud that we’ve been competitive with Kentucky.

“That’s what you got to do when you’re in the SEC. It’s like you’re playing football in the SEC, you got to be competitive with Auburn and Alabama and Georgia; the best teams in the SEC are those three teams. In basketball, you got to be competitive with Kentucky.”

Kentucky (19-9, 10-5 SEC) has picked up some key wins recently and has won its last three games. The Wildcats are now ranked 31st nationally by KenPom with an adjusted offensive efficiency of 117.2 — 15th-best in the nation. However, in Kentucky’s nine losses it has averaged 67.3 points per game

“Kentucky has been one of those teams they have counted out, but I look at Kentucky as one of the best teams in the conference,” Auburn guard Zep Jasper said Friday. “No matter how many games they have lost this year, they are still one of the best teams in the conference.

“As a team we have to play harder, we have got to play tougher. It is just one of those games we have to win.”