Auburn Basketball

Any thoughts that would hinder landing top recruits to Auburn should have been erased earlier today. 

Head coach Tony Barbee landed the top player in the state of Alabama, forward Josh Langford from Huntsville, in a signing ceremony at Lee High School. 

Barbee has had contact with Langford since the ninth grade.  From reports, it sounded like Langford was going to sign no matter where Barbee was located. 

It just pays off that Barbee is now on the Plains. 

This is the first time since 1996 that Auburn has signed the top player in the state.  The last player to sign while number one in the state?

If you guessed Doc Robinson, you know your Auburn basketball. 

There are two questions one must ask about this signing. 

The first question: Why didn't this happen within the last six years?

It is an easy enough answer, but still has to be asked.  Granted, Auburn has a shiny new arena to show off to recruits, but that begs to ask why landing top recruits could not happen within the last six years.

The second question: Should this be viewed as a start of what is to come?

An optimist will say yes. 

Unlike other sports, basketball really only needs a couple of big time playmakers to make defenses have fits. 

A decent basketball team should have a forward/center down low to get the ball to as well as a guard that can shoot the ball when necessary. 

The addition of Langford with returning starter Frankie Sullivan should serve well as a good base to build the Auburn basketball program.

Auburn already has in its 2010 signing class Allen Payne, Shawn Kemp, Jr., Heath Houston, and Adrian Forbes.

For a fan base that was desperately needing a jump start in its basketball program, Barbee has come through in a big way.

Auburn Tigers

Location: Auburn, Ala.

Reason for Nickname: The nickname “Tigers” comes from a line in Oliver Goldsmith’s poem, “The Deserted Village,” published in May 1770, “where crouching tigers wait their hapless prey… "

Conference: Southeastern

Home Court: Auburn Arena (built 2010, capacity 9,600)

SEC Champions: 1960 (regular season), 1985 (tournament), 1999 (regular season)

NCAA Tournament: 1984, 1985, 1986 (Elite 8), 1987, 1988, 1999 (Sweet 16), 2000, 2003 (Sweet 16)

NIT Tournament: 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2009

Auburn began playing basketball in 1905 and for the duration of the program, it has remained in the shadow of the football program. It took almost 80 years for the Tigers to reach the NCAA Tournament when Charles Barkley and company made their debut in 1984. In 1986, the Tigers came within one game of being the first Alabama school to reach the Final Four, losing to Louisville in the Elite Eight.

The school has won two SEC regular-season championships, the first coming in 1960 under coach Joel Eaves, the winningest coach in Auburn history and the second one in 1999 under Cliff Ellis. In 1985, the Tigers won the SEC Tournament for the only time in program history under coach Tommy Smith.

Did You Know? Auburn’s former arena, Auburn Sports Arena, burned in 1996 during the Auburn-LSU football game. The arena was home to the team for 24 seasons until Beard-Eaves Coliseum opened.

Auburn Tigers basketball by the numbers:

Seasons: 105

All-time wins: 1,199

SEC Overall Championships: 2

SEC West Champions: 1

SEC Tournament Champions: 1

Postseason Appearances: 14

NCAA Tournaments: 8

NCAA Elite Eight: 1

NCAA Sweet Sixteens: 3

The Auburn Athletic Department pulled the trigger on Jeff Lebo today, firing him after six seasons on the plains. 

Lebo was 96-93 while on the plains.  He only had two winning seasons overall, and only one in the SEC.  Auburn went to the NIT in the 2008-09 season. 

After Lebo took over for Cliff Ellis in 2004, many had wondered if Auburn would return to the NCAA tournament. 

Lebo tried to use his guard play as a launchpad into the NCAA, but seemingly always fell short. 

The bottom line is that he simply didn't win. 

Auburn is basically at the same point they were when Lebo was hired.  Auburn has hardly any depth as four seniors played their final game last night in Nashville. 

As much as the situation is bleak now, this maybe the start of something that Auburn has needed for a long time. 

Auburn's last NCAA appearance was in 2003.  Except during the 08-09 season, Auburn didn't even sniff an at-large bid. 

Auburn Arena is now the center point of Auburn Basketball.  The new facilities shows that Auburn has made a commitment to the men's and women's basketball programs.

Athletic Director Jay Jacobs has signified that basketball on the plains will no longer be considered a sideshow.  He is committing the resources to make Auburn basketball relevant in the SEC again.  

As every fan knows, basketball is not the main attraction on campus.  Auburn men's basketball will not be a quick fix.   

But Auburn basketball has been under appreciated for a long time. 

Lebo's firing is the final chapter in the Beard-Eaves Coliseum's history. 

Jacobs looks to make Auburn Arena the start of something new for a long neglected program.

After taking over the Tigers basketball team six seasons ago, head coach Jeff Lebo has been fired by Auburn's athletic department.

He had three years remaining on his contract, and a buyout is estimated at $1.5 million.

Lebo had just two winning seasons in the six years he coached at Auburn, and only once has he had a winning record within in the SEC.

Just last year Lebo coached the Tigers to his season best 24-12 record, matching the second-most wins in school history and a 10-6 mark in the Southeastern Conference.

Unfortunately his teams have not fared well when playing conference foes. Overall he was 35-61 within the SEC.

Lebo's best success was during his two first coaching positions.

He was 74-42 in four seasons at Tennessee Tech and 40-20 in two seasons at Chattanooga.

He came in for the 2004-2005 season, replacing former head coach Cliff Ellis, but his chances at success diminished when several of Ellis' top players left.

Lebo's last game with the Tigers was a 78-69 loss to Florida in the SEC Tournament on Thursday night.

The Tigers were a disappointing 15-17 this season, even after returning several key players from a team that went 24-12 in 2008.

Lebo leaves Auburn just as their team moves to a new home.

The university is putting the finishing touches on the brand-new $90-million Auburn Arena which will be put into use next year.

Jeff Lebo's Record at Auburn
Year            Overall      SEC   
2004-05       14-17      4-12
2005-06       12-16      4-12
2006-07       17-15      7-9
2007-08       14-16      4-12
2008-09       24-12      10-6
2009-10       15-17      6-10
---------------------------------------
Total            96-93      35-61

There has been many rumblings around the Plains about head basketball coach Jeff Lebo and his job.  This season has been a bit of a disappointment as far as starters that were returning and quality of play. 

First off, lets look at the facts:

Lebo's first year, the '04-'05 season, he finished with a record of 14-17, 4-12 in the conference.  That was with basically a brand new team due to some players transferring after former head coach Cliff Ellis was fired. 

Lebo's second year he went 12-16 with the same 4-12  conference record. 

In Lebo's third year, he managed Auburn's first winning season since 2003 with a 17-15 record and 7-9 in the SEC. 

Lebo's fourth year, which was plagued by player injuries, went 14-16 overall, 4-12 in the conference. 

His best year was last year, going 24-12 overall, 10-6 in the conference, and reaching the elite eight in the NIT. 

This year has not been so kind, as the Tigers sit 12-13 overall, 3-7 in the SEC.  

The resume is not the best if you compare it to other Div. I coaches (.486 winning percentage, including this season), but one has to remember where Lebo started. 

Lebo basically started from the ground up.  He had to create a basketball program from the old, creaking hardwood of Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. 

Now in the sixth season and after last year's run in the NIT, like other fans, I was also expecting better things from the Tigers. 

Auburn has played it close to the chest all season, and they only have three conference wins to show for it. 

The biggest problem personnel wise is that no one off the bench is contributing with points.  The starters have had to play more minutes just for Auburn to hang in the game. 

What makes it even more difficult is those bench players will be starters next year.  Auburn will lose four starters. DeWanye Reed, Brendon Knox, Tay Waller, and Lucas Hargrove all will be moving on in life. 

Those four starters account for 51.6 points per game, which is 68 percent of Auburn's total points per game (75.7 points per game). 

Now look back to Lebo, who  recruits these players.  Does one think that Auburn will be able to be competitive next season with those players leaving?  Signs point to no. 

Unofficially, I haven't heard about much movement from the athletic department.  If there was a move to look for a new head coach, now would be the time to start. 

My opinion is that with the amount of turnover from last season in Div. I head coaches, if Auburn was to start looking, they wouldn't have a cream of the crop list to choose from. 

Also, this is Auburn basketball.  The men's program does not have a deep of history compared to other Division I programs.  Historically, the Auburn women's basketball team has a better record, reaching the NCAA final three straight times from '88-'90. 

The men haven't been past the elite eight.

My best guess is that Lebo will be around to see the new Auburn arena.  With the players he is losing this season, I can't tell you how much longer he might be around. 

Though it looks like that Lebo will be around at least one more season.  I'll be shocked if Auburn moves on him after this season.

It is often said that a best defense is a good offense.  Auburn has tried that method, only to succeed once in six tries.  On Saturday night, they decided to play it a little closer on defense against Alabama.

That strategy paid off.

Auburn used defense and half-court pressure to pull out the 58-57 victory over the Crimson Tide. 

Auburn only made three three-pointers, all made by Tay Waller.  Auburn scored 32 of the 58 points in the paint.

Also what benefited Auburn was free throws down the stretch.  DeWayne Reed and Lucas Hargrove each made a crucial free throw to tie and seal the lead for the Tigers. 

Now, looking at just the score, one would think that Auburn had an off night in shooting.  The truth is that the Tigers made better shot selections, as their 42.6 field goal percentage will show.

The Tigers also finally played a full 40 minute game since their victory over LSU. 

This all leads to just one point: Why haven't the Tigers played like this earlier?

Sure, big leads and lots of threes are sexy, but it has resulted in only one victory in six SEC games.  Auburn played defensive basketball tonight and came away with a win.

Granted Alabama is not the best shooting team in the conference, but it tells me that maybe Auburn has something the coaching staff may need to look into. 

There still are the problems of points off the bench, 22 for Alabama and only 6 for Auburn, but it does show that Auburn can play defense against a decent team like Alabama. 

By playing more defensively, it also gave the starters more of a chance to rest.  The starters, minus Johnnie Lett, are basically the main scorers for the Tigers.  With the bench on the court, the defense can have a chance to clamp down on the opposition.

Tonight, the Crimson Tide had several issues getting past the Tigers.

If Auburn wants more wins, then they have to play more defensive style basketball.  The bench is not helping the starters with points, so the team needs to integrate more of a defensive mindset. 

The margin for error is slim for the Tigers.  If Auburn has any hopes for post-season play, they will have to start playing more fundamentals and defense. 

There are only eleven more chances to get the Tigers to a NIT bid.

Auburn has had some struggles to start the conference season.  The Tigers stand 1-4 going into tomorrow's game versus the Ole Miss Rebels.

There has been many, including myself, that have wondered if Auburn will be able to turn the season around before it gets too ugly. 

Well, there is one small ray of hope left for the Tigers.  As mentioned, Auburn is 1-4 in the conference. 

One positive note is that all four of the Tigers' losses have come against Eastern Division opponents. Auburn still has eleven games to play with nine of them against Western Division opponents. 

Auburn has shown glimpses of prosperity in some games.  They had big leads against Tennessee and Vanderbilt.  They almost came back to knock off Kentucky at home. 

One key for Auburn has been shooting from beyond the arc.  If Auburn gets going outside early, it makes the defense respect the perimeter. 

At times, Auburn has been able to utilize the inside game especially when Brendon Knox comes off the bench. 

Auburn's biggest problem has been on defense.  The Tigers are next to last in scoring defense in the SEC.  Ole Miss comes in second in the SEC in scoring offense. 

In my honest opinion, Auburn needs to concentrate more on defense.  Auburn can apply pressure at times, forcing turnovers off of steals. 

The Tigers will have to apply pressure early on to try to get steals and block penetration into the lane. 

Another point I have noticed is that Auburn has not been able to adjust well to opponents changing defenses during the game. 

With Auburn's outside shooting critical for success, it is imperative that they manage to keep the inside game an option when the shots just aren't falling.

Auburn managed to do well on the inside against Vandy in the first half, but halftime adjustments by the Commodores doomed the Tigers in the final stretch. 

It is hard to look for a silver lining in what has been already a difficult conference season. 

If Auburn expects to jump back into the race, it'll have to come with wins against Western Division foes.

Auburn basketball. Some days, it makes you want to cheer and some days, it makes you want to stick your head in the sand to hide. After winning more games last season than any other Auburn basketball team in school history, Lebo's Tigers are managing very few wins this season. It is apparent that Auburn lost some key talent after finishing up the 2008-2009 season, but on the other hand, Auburn has four seniors who are very capable of leading Auburn to more victories. When the seniors aren't leading on the court, it makes me wonder if there is a breakdown between coaches and players.

Before Auburn began SEC play, it had accumulated eight wins and six losses. When you look at who Auburn played, you have to question what in the world is wrong with Auburn basketball. Auburn lost to North Carolina State and that is not so difficult to swallow. On the other hand, losses to Missouri State, Sam Houston, Troy and Central Florida make for one difficult pill to swallow. Auburn did manage a one point victory over the University of Virginia and to date, that is, in my opinion, their best win yet. Before Auburn entered SEC play, they only played three teams from major conferences. Who is making the schedule for Auburn? I would much rather see Auburn warm up against several quality teams before entering SEC play. Even if they go into SEC play with five wins and nine losses, I would be okay with that if the losses were to teams from the Big East, the ACC, the PAC-10, the Big 10 or the Big 12. When you beat High Point or West Georgia or Georgia Southern, it doesn't prepare a team to play with the likes of SEC teams. I am not taking anything away from High Point, West Georgia or Georgia Southern. I merely trying to say that Auburn needs to compete against teams from major conferences in order to have a chance to play better against SEC teams. Auburn led South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt; however, the team could not find a way to win even one of those games. Why? Auburn is not the most talented team in the SEC and they certainly don't have the size other teams have, but why? Are the current coaches unable to recruit talent and size? Lebo has brought in some excellent players over the past few years, but has he utilized those players to Auburn's advantage? Let's critique the most recent game. Auburn led Vanderbilt by 16 points and they entered half-time with a lead of 43 to 32. What happened? One thing is for sure, Vanderbilt coaches said and did the right things to get their players to come back out and whip Auburn. Once things start going downhill, Lebo seems unable to stop the slide and gain any momentum from his players. 

Time and time again, I start to wonder if Jeff Lebo is the right man to lead the Auburn basketball team. I am sick and tired of Auburn athletics doing all they can to promote a successful football team but not for the Auburn basketball team. Come on, Jay Jacobs, light a fire under Jeff Lebo or replace him. Alabama finally replaced their long-time beloved coach with Anthony Grant and look what it has done for the program. Not only is Alabama winning; they are beating ranked opponents. As an Auburn man, I have to say congratulations. I also have to wonder when Auburn is going to spend some cash to bring in a coach who will turn things around once and for all. It's time. We can all sit around and say things like, "well, Auburn sure has lost some close games this year." Its time to get real. They have lost games they should have won and when they were bidding for an upset, they couldn't finish. If Lebo's seat is not a hot one right now, maybe it should be. It is time for a change. Auburn football has improved drastically over the past year. It is time for Auburn basketball to change as well.

Another SEC team, another SEC loss as the Tigers fell to the Volunteers 81-55.  Auburn had a fast start, but fell off quickly going into the second half.

There wasn't very much to praise the Tigers on in the second half.  Auburn made 10 of 24 three-pointers in the first half, but was only 1-11 after halftime. 

If people haven't figured out Auburn yet, they will soon enough—Auburn doesn't have it this season.  

It seems that they only get a chance to shoot three pointers all day, or get the ball inside and get those baskets. 

Auburn so far overall has not played a real complete game against a quality opponent.  In addition to the Tigers' woes, they have not gotten any real support off the bench.

Brendon Knox was about the only player off the bench that was getting consistent points.  Tonight, he only had two points off the bench.

Auburn only made six baskets inside the arc tonight; that is about unheard of in the SEC. 

The defense really fell off the map too, allowing 43 points to Tennessee in the second half. 

Auburn's weaknesses were shown in full force tonight. 

Auburn can't play defense, can't play consistent offense, and will get run out of about every basketball arena in the conference.  That will also include Beard-Eaves. 

The road doesn't get any easier for the Tigers as the Kentucky Wildcats come calling to the Plains on Saturday. 

If there is any indication, tonight's romp was just a little taste of what may come on Saturday afternoon. 

I was quite optimistic before the conference season, but now, just two games in, it seems a lost cause. 

If the heat isn't there now, Jeff Lebo will start to feel it soon from a multitude of directions.

Fresh off a victory against the West Georgia Wolves, the 9-6 Auburn Tigers start conference play versus the South Carolina Gamecocks this Saturday.

Auburn is riding a four-game win streak into Saturday, crushing the Wolves 96-72.  This much is certain though: Pre-season is over.

There is some ray of hope for the Auburn Tigers. In this four-game win streak, they have played some of their best basketball to date. 

The offense finally got off to a quick start last night, going on an 11-3 run within the first 1:41 of the game. 

All five of Auburn's starters scored within the first 2:23 versus the Wolves.

Now the intensity will be turned up a notch, as the South Carolina Gamecocks roll into town. 

Devan Downey of South Carolina is scoring 18.5 points per game. Watch for the Tigers to control him early on in the game.

As Auburn had problems earlier in the season, those problems seemed to have been solved. 

Auburn has shown much more aggressiveness inside the paint on this winning streak. Brendon Knox and Johnnie Lett have become a force inside making teams respect the paint. 

If its current play can continue into conference play, Auburn will be able to make some noise. 

After South Carolina, the road doesn't get any easier. 

Auburn will have to play aggressive for 16 more games to have a shot in each one. 

A task that is much easier said than done.