Auburn

A stunner in Ann Arbor, and other happenings on the season's first Saturday

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 22:44:29 -0700

Well, by now you know that two-time Championship Subdivision champ Appalachian State went into Michigan and left with a 34-32 win, closing it out with a blocked field goal with six seconds remaining. How does this happen? For one, the Mountaineers didn't go into the Big House with their collective tail between their legs. Secondly, the Michigan defense continued its sieve-like performance for the third straight game. To be honest, the offense minus Mike Hart didn't show too much either. Without Hart's 188 yards and three scores, this one could have been worse than it actually was. Lastly, the Michigan players may have focused more on the "1-AA" part of the opponent rather than the fact that the Mountaineers can play some football. So where do the Wolverines go from here? Oregon comes to town next week in a game that has all the looks of an 0-2 start when you compare the offensive styles of Oregon and Appalachian State. Both teams like to spread out defenses and use their speed on the perimeter. If Michigan and defensive coordinator Ron English can't take care of their issues in the coming week of practice and film study, things could go from bad to worse for Lloyd Carr as far as job security is concerned. Two other games that caught my eye were a pair of wins for Mountain West schools at home. Naturally, the two games were part of a doubleheader on Versus, making the wins by Wyoming and BYU all the more important for the conference. Wyoming held Virginia to three points in a 23-3 win that in all honesty wasn't that close. The Cavs, who some liked to make a move in the ACC Coastal, did very little on offense, and Jameel Sewell didn't look 100% recovered from off-season left wrist surgery. And BYU handled Arizona in Provo, 20-7. Two players making their first appearance on the college stage, QB Max Hall and RB Harvey Unga played extremely well, and a defense that made huge strides a year ago in winning the MWC held Arizona scoreless until the game's final minute. For fans of the Cats who were hoping that the hiring of Sonny Dykes to run the offense would mean an explosive attack, slow down the thinking. When your playmakers don't have a history of consistently making plays (that's a big difference from simply having talent), a new system doesn't turn an average attack into the Indianapolis Colts. Have patience, there's still a long way to go. A great scene in Blacksburg this afternoon as well, but I wouldn't read too much into the final score (17-7) too much for two reasons. One, the emotion of the day was something that no other football team has had to deal with. Secondly, ECU is pegged as one of the better teams in CUSA this season, meaning that they're no slouch. Of course, there were some turnovers that could be deadly in Baton Rouge next weekend, but the Hokies will work out those kinks throughout the week. With all the attention being paid to "Bowden Bowl IX" on Monday, people had better pay more attention to Boston College, who beat Wake Forest 38-28 in Chestnut Hill. Matt Ryan threw for 408 yards and five scores, and corner DeJuan Tribble had three picks on the afternoon. The most important development in this one could actually be the separated throwing shoulder of Wake QB Riley Skinner. Redshirt sophomore Brett Hodges played well in Skinner's stead, but you know that the Deacs will need Skinner if they want to repeat as ACC champs. Right up there with the Michigan game in terms of excitement was Colorado's comeback win over CSU in overtime. Cody Hawkins performed well in his first start for the Buffs, taking some pressure off of the head coach had things not gone so well. Oh, the head coach is his father, which could make for an interesting dynamic in terms of fan opinion if Cody struggles. But with Cody at the helm, the future looks bright in Boulder. Lastly, not to take anything away from Auburn and their comeback win over Kansas State, but the Tigers had no business winning that game. But thanks to 18 penalties and a seeming unwillingness to give left tackle Alesana Alesana consistent help with All-American defensive end Quentin Groves in his first college start. Groves wreaked havoc on the KSU offense in the fourth quarter, pressuring Josh Freeman countless times and forcing the fumble that was returned for the game-clinching touchdown. Auburn is a young team overall, so they should be able to work out the kinks as the season progresses. Almost forgot, don't ever...ever kick the ball to Cal's DeSean Jackson. If you decide to out of bravado and end up getting burned as Tennessee's Britton Colquitt did tonight, you essentially dug your own grave. Not too smart.

2007-08 Auburn Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 07:25:11 -0700

Auburn Tigers

Overall Rank: #81

Conference Rank: #10 SEC

2006-07: 17-15, 7-9, 3^rd (t) West

2006-07 postseason: none

It has been a while since Auburn was a contender in the SEC. Alabama and Arkansas got all the credit, but the Tigers had the same 7-9 conference record. With the top eight scorers returning, this could be the year the Tigers become more than just an easy victory for their conference opponents. Auburn had five players average between 11.0 and 12.5 points per game last season and their unselfish balanced scoring attack will put them in a position to really surprise some people.

Who’s Out:

Kelvin Lewis was a decent outside shooter and is transferring to Houston after seeing limited action in Auburn. Lewis was probably not the answer, but the Tigers are in need of finding a quality shooter or two.

Who’s In:

At 7-1 and 275 pounds, Boubacar Sylla has plenty of potential to be a dominating player in the SEC. He has not been playing basketball very long, so the word potential will be used often to describe the Parisian. Sylla has a decent offensive game and can hit the short range jumper or find his open teammates. However, it is Tyrell Lynch who will play a more important role this year. If the 6-8 power forward can become a decent option off the bench it will open up some possible lineup changes on the front line.

Who to Watch:

If Lynch can pull off 15 minutes a game off the bench, the Tigers could start three of the most underappreciated forwards in the nation. Last year Quan Prowell was relegated to the bench much of the year, but the 6-8 forward could be a mismatch at the small forward position. If there is no depth up front, he has to play the power forward spot. Prowell is the best long range shooter on the team and with his size and athleticism, he will give opposing small forwards all sorts of problems. Josh Dollard led the team with 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and will stay at his power forward position. While undersized at 6-7, Korvotney Barber is a quality big man. His length and shot blocking ability make him a solid defender and he has developed into a good post scoring threat. If Lynch is not up to the task of contributing off the bench, Matt Heramb and Lucas Hargrove have the potential to do so. Hargrove is more of a small forward and Heramb only saw a handful of minutes in 13 contests during the 2006-2007 campaign.

Final Projection:

The backcourt has a leader in Frank Tolbert. Now a senior, Tolbert is expected to be the go to scorer on the perimeter. Rasheem Barrett lacked consistency with his shot, but has the potential to be a great shooting guard. He rarely meets a shot he does not like, but he needs to find his teammates when the shot is finding the back of the iron. Quantez Robertson and Dewayne Reed will find their teammates but, yet again, the shooting is erratic. Archie Miaway will provide some experience off the bench. No matter who starts or where they start, the Tigers need a shooter. Just about everybody on the roster will take the long ball, but the consistency has been, and will be, a problem. The frontcourt is nothing short of amazing and that means the perimeter group should have plenty of open looks. If they knock them down, Auburn will do better than just a trip to the NIT. Unfortunately, there is little reason to believe the shooting will be any more consistent this year than it was last year.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Quantez Robertson, Junior, Guard, 8.2 points per game

Frank Tolbert, Senior, Guard, 11.8 points per game

Quan Prowell, Senior, Forward, 11.4 points per game

Josh Dollard, Junior, Forward, 12.5 points per game

Korvotney Barber, Junior, Forward, 11.2 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview | Discuss the Preview

SEC Player & Rookie of the Week

Press Release — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 13:02:05 -0800

SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Korvotney Barber, Auburn
F * 6-7 * 220 * So. * Manchester, Ga.

* Barber recorded the first double-double of his career with 13 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in Auburn's, 71-68, come-from-behind victory over Troy University.
* With Auburn leading by one, Barber blocked Troy's game-winning attempt in the lane with nine seconds remaining. After two Frank Tolbert free throws to put the Tigers up by three with 2 seconds remaining, Barber stole the inbounds pass to preserve Auburn's season opening win.
* He shot 50 percent from the field (5-of-10) and totaled seven offensive rebounds in the victory.

Barber's Season Stats
PPG RPG APG BPG SPG
13.0 16.0 0.0 1.0 1.0

SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Patrick Beverley, Arkansas
G * 6-1 * 172 * Fr. * Chicago, Ill.

* In his Razorback debut, true freshman Patrick Beverley hit 11-of-13 shots, including six-of-seven three-pointers, and scored a game-high 29 points in Arkansas' 92-52 victory over Southeast Missouri State on Friday.
* Beverley was 5-of-6 from the field, all threes, and 1-of-2 at the line in the first half for 16 points. He was 6-of-7, 1-of-1 on threes, in the second half for 13 points. He also had five rebounds, four assists and four steals. He scored his 29 points in only 28 minutes.
* His point total is the highest for a Razorback in a season-opener since All-American Sidney Moncrief scored 30 against Oklahoma in the 1979.

Beverley's Season Stats
PPG RPG APG BPG SPG
29.0 5.0 4.0 0.0 4.0

2006-07 Preview: Team's #111-120

Joel Welser — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 13:49:42 -0700

Capsules of teams ranked 111th to 120th in CHN's 144 Teams in 144 Days Preview.

SEC Basketball: Summer Preview

Kurt Wirth — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Much of the nation knows the SEC as a football conference. And why not, with teams like Florida, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, and Alabama stealing the national limelight? Still others see the SEC as the leading conference in baseball. Which, with 9 out of the 12 SEC schools ranked in the Top 25 at one point last season, it is. However, many overlook the heritage-rich Southeastern Conference in terms of basketball. That is, until last season. In what pre-season analysts called a “down year” for the SEC, the conference sent 6 teams to the NCAA – two of them to the Final Four, produced the national champion, and finished just behind the ACC in RPI standings.

While the 2005-2006 season proved to be one of success for the SEC, the nation will be watching to see if the conference has what it takes to follow up with a strong encore. What teams will step up to the plate, and which ones will simply fade into quiet nothingness?

1. Florida (Last Year: 33-6, 10-6) – There’s no way not to put Florida at the top of the conference at this point. Winning the national championship and then avoiding the loss of any substantial players nets you a number one spot nationally, let alone at the top of the conference. However, with such a monstrous amount of pressure from every direction, last year’s “super sophs” will need to develop into mentally-tough juniors in order to pull off two championship runs in a row.

2. LSU (Last Year: 27-9, 14-2) - Although Tyrus Thomas was a significant loss, this Final Four team remains mostly intact; including no incoming freshman. With John Brady at the helm of this experienced group, led by a slimmer “Big Baby” Davis, LSU should be the favorite to take the SEC West title.

3. Tennessee (Last Year: 22-8, 12-4) – Was last year a fluke? Probably not. Tennessee’s loss of CJ Watson will be a challenge, but should be one that will be fulfilled readily by this talented coach. Expect Bruce Pearl’s squad to do nothing but improve as his own recruits begin to filter into the system.

4. Alabama (Last Year: 18-13, 10-6) – With two All-SEC competitors at arguably the two most important positions on the court, Mark Gottfried is undeniably looking forward to a special season. That said, the Tide suffered some bumps and bruises last season, along with the denial of extra eligibility served to team-star Chuck Davis, and will have some obstacles to overcome this upcoming season.

5. Kentucky (Last Year: 22-13, 9-7) – What is the world coming to? Kentucky at #5…in the conference?!? Words of mutiny are spreading in Lexington, as the Wildcats barely managed 20 wins and a NCAA birth. Tubby Smith, with his impressive resume, struggled with team dynamics last season, which resulted in a mediocre 9-7 conference record. For this season, Tubby must replace names like Rondo, Sparks, Moss, and Sims – which, needless to say, won’t be an easy task. Look for the Wildcats to struggle with experience and be slow to rebound from last year’s “down” season.

6. Mississippi State (Last Year: 15-15, 5-11) – After four years of 20+ win seasons and NCAA appearances, Rick Stansbury started over last year after losing all five starters. As expected, the Bulldogs endured nasty losses and a few impressive wins. For 06-07, Stansbury loses only one quality player, and brings in a nice recruiting class highlighted by Jarvis Varnado. Expect the Dawgs to improve greatly on last year and make a post-season appearance.

7. Arkansas (Last Year: 22-10, 10-6) – Modica and Brewer will be sorely missed in Fayetteville. After losing, debatably, their two most valuable assets, the Razorbacks – led by Stan Heath – will be greatly relying on seasoned Mississippi State transfer Gary Ervin to lead the way. The ‘Backs should take an inevitable tumble from last year, putting Heath on the hot-seat once again.

8. South Carolina (Last Year: 23-15, 6-10) – Two NIT titles is impressive…but sadly, not as impressive as NCAA berths. Dave Odom’s Gamecocks also have their own losses to deal with, in the forms of Tarence Kinsey and 05-06 breakout Renaldo Balkman. USC will be overpowered in an extremely talented Eastern division; seeing only limited success this coming season.

9. Vanderbilt (Last Year: 17-13, 7-9) – The Commodores managed a somewhat impressive record last season, including a sweep over the Wildcats of Kentucky. Vandy skipper Kevin Stallings returns the third highest-scoring duo in the SEC last year in Foster/Byars, and could be set to surprise a few analysts – along with some teams on the way.

10. Georgia (Last Year: 15-15, 5-11) – Sad times have befallen the Bulldogs of Georgia. Kevin Brophy, a junior guard who saw action in every game during the 05-06 season, was recently killed in an auto accident. With this morale-destroying loss, along with the non-renewal of Younes Idrissi’s scholarship, Dennis Felton will again be searching for some much-needed depth.

11. Ole Miss (Last Year: 14-16, 4-12) – The Rebels from Oxford have some talent at crucial positions, including Todd Abernethy at point guard, but must undergo a coaching overhaul for this upcoming season. The success of Andy Kennedy’s squad will depend on how quickly these players can adapt to a new style of play under a completely new system.

12. Auburn (Last Year: 12-16, 4-12)– Things seem to be business as usual in Auburn – little talent, inexperience, and volatile team dynamics frustrating any chance for success and limiting the Tigers to the bottom of the conference. Without much improvement in depth or talent, a winning season seems to be a stretch for Jeff Lebo’s squad.

With November inching ever closer, the stakes are high as the nation waits to see how the SEC will fare after over-achieving last season. Until then, the SEC will be preparing for what is setting up to be an epic 06-07 season.