KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Here's how you can sum up Kentucky playing Auburn in the Midwest Region championship game on Sunday:
When Houston made elimination from the NCAA Tournament a distinct possibility Friday night, Kentucky put the ball in the hands of strongmen PJ Washington and Reid Travis.
"We've got to go with what we are," associate coach Kenny Payne said after UK's 62-58 victory. "We are a post-up team."
When Auburn beat South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference Tournament this month, a whopping 72.3 percent of the Tigers' shots were 3-pointers. To be precise, 34 of 47.
This preponderance of 3-point shots brought a smile to Bryce Brown's face after the game. "That's us," he said. "Coach (Bruce Pearl) says be who you are."
Auburn's identity was on display in Friday's 97-80 semifinal victory over No. 1 seed North Carolina. Auburn's 17 3-pointers were the most ever made against a UNC team coached by Roy Williams and tied for the second-most made by any team in a region semifinal game.
"Let's pray they don't make 17 against us," Payne said Saturday. "We've got to defend the three-point line. That's the elephant in the room."
There's another elephant in the form of Kentucky's imposing front line. It made a telling difference in UK's two regular-season victories against Auburn. In those two games, the Cats outscored Auburn 68-46 in the paint and limited Auburn to eight second-chance points.
"Our physicality wasn't up to par in those two games," said Anfernee McLemore, Auburn's 6-foot-7 power forward. "We don't like to play the card that we're under-sized because we feel we can play with most guys."
Two injuries updated Saturday seemed to favor Kentucky's advantage on the front line.
PJ Washington, UK's leading scorer and rebounder, said he expected to play. "I don't know if I'm going to start," he said before adding, "I'm definitely feeling good."
Auburn's Horace Spencer called Washington "a pretty big force of nature."
Meanwhile, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl announced that sophomore Chuma Okeke, the team's tallest starter at 6-8, tore an anterior cruciate ligament in Friday's victory over North Carolina. Okeke, who leads Auburn in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and blocks (46), is scheduled to have surgery Tuesday.
Not expected to win is nothing new for Auburn. "I don't know that there's a single game that people haven't doubted us in the tournament," leading scorer Bryce Brown said. "Even our first game against New Mexico State there were a lot of people who doubted us ... . We're the underdog in pretty much every situation."
Auburn (29-9) goes into the Midwest Region finals having won its last 11 games (the longest active winning streak in college basketball).
The last loss came at Kentucky. It was a beat-down. UK won 80-53. UK out-rebounded Auburn 43-24 even though Reid Travis was sidelined after spraining his right knee at Missouri four nights earlier.
"They physically overwhelmed us in Lexington," Pearl said. "We actually went into that game playing pretty well, and we got manhandled."
The 3-pointer can be the great equalizer. Auburn ranks third nationally with an average of 11.4 3-point baskets per game. After Auburn made 17 of 37 3-point shots Friday, Williams pointed out how North Carolina felt good about having made more than 300 three-point shots this season. Auburn increased its total to 438.
"What they've done is off the charts ...," the UNC coach said. "That's another couple of leagues away from what we are.
"When they're making shots like that when they did in the first half against Kansas, it's hard for anybody to beat them. That's the facts."
In addition to representing three points, baskets from beyond the arc carry a psychological payload. Auburn is capable of making 3-pointers in bunches.
When asked about Kentucky handling such a barrage, Reid Travis said, "I think we've done a great job of training all year for that. You defend it the right way and they make the shot, you just got to give them credit and run back down the floor."
Kentucky expects Auburn to fire away from 3-point range. The 37 attempts against North Carolina equaled the second-most in a regional game.
"I just feel that's who we are," Brown said. "We're going to make shots. If we're off in the first half, we're going to come back and make shots in the second half.
"We have confidence we're not going to have an off game."
