Auburn announces 2007-2008 Schedule

[WarTiger 3,896]

2007-2008 Schedule

AUBURN----Auburn will play 16 games against 2007 postseason tournament teams, including home games against Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas and Xavier as its 2007-08 basketball schedule was released Saturday. Games vs. West Virginia in the Pizza Hut Big East/SEC Invitational on ESPN2 in Birmingham's BJCC Arena Dec. 5 and against NCAA participant George Washington in the BB&T Classic in Washington D.C.'s Verizon Center Dec. 2 also highlight the schedule.

The Tigers have nine games against NCAA Tournament teams in two-time defending national champion Florida, Arkansas (twice), Xavier, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, George Washington and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The seven games against NIT teams include West Virginia, Alabama (twice), Mississippi State (twice) and Ole Miss (twice).

"We have some very good non-conference games, but our schedule overall is probably not going to be as challenging as it has been in the past," said fourth-year Auburn head coach Jeff Lebo. "We are excited to play West Virginia and to play them in Birmingham is good. We are playing Xavier in Auburn and will return the game to Cincinnati next year.

"We will play George Washington in the BB&T Classic as part of a tripleheader with Maryland, VCU and George Mason. We have a couple of in-state teams coming in here, play at Alabama State in Montgomery, and we*re going to Mobile to play in the Coors Classic. It is good to promote Auburn basketball by going around the state and play."

Ten of Auburn's first 15 Southeastern Conference games will be televised, including a pair of nationally-televised home games vs. Alabama on CBS on Sun., Feb. 24 and vs. Arkansas on ESPN or ESPN2 on Thur., Jan. 10. The Tigers play West Virginia on ESPN2 and Xavier on Fox Sports Net and will have several other non-conference games televised by CSS.

Although the Tigers have been on CBS 24 times, it will be the first time the network has ever televised a home Auburn basketball game. The regular season finale at Arkansas could be picked up as a 'wildcard' game by LFS. If it is, the 11 SEC games on TV would tie for the second-most televised regular season league games in a season with 1983-84 and second only to the 14 televised SEC games in 1999-2000.

After an exhibition game vs. Bluefield College Nov. 1, Auburn plays its season opener Nov. 9 at Tulane. The Tigers play only one home game in its first seven games of the season, against Kennessaw State Nov. 13. Auburn then plays at Alabama State Nov. 16, at Charleston Southern Nov. 19, George Washington, West Virginia and then in Mobile's Coors Classic vs. Southern.

The Tigers return to play in Auburn more than a month later against Mercer Dec. 19, the first of six-straight home games. Auburn plays host to Alabama A&M Dec. 22 and Towson University Dec. 29 before playing host to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Jan. 2. The Islanders led Wisconsin for most of their 2007 NCAA Tournament first round game before losing 76-63.

Auburn closes out non-conference play Jan. 6 against Xavier, which lost to Ohio State 78-71 in overtime in the NCAA Tournament second round.

The Tigers open SEC action at home vs. Arkansas Jan. 10 on ESPN/ESPN2 before a two-game road trip at Florida Jan. 12 on LFS-TV and at LSU on Jan. 16. Auburn plays host to Ole Miss on FSN Jan. 19 and steps out of SEC play to face Presbyterian College Jan. 22. Auburn plays at Alabama Jan. 26 on FSN and ends the month vs. LSU Jan. 30.

A road game at Vanderbilt Feb. 2 on FSN begins a run of four-straight televised games followed by home games vs. Kentucky Feb. 6 on LFS and Mississippi State Feb. 9 on FSN. The Tigers take a week off before playing the next three of four games on the road beginning at Ole Miss Feb. 16 on FSN and at Tennessee Feb. 20.

Auburn plays host to Alabama on CBS on Feb. 24 followed by a game at Mississippi State Feb. 27, a pair of home games vs. South Carolina Mar. 1 on FSN and Georgia on Mar. 5 on Senior Day for Frank Tolbert, Quan Prowell and Archie Miaway.

A trip to Bud Walton Arena and a game against Arkansas closes out regular season play Mar. 8 for Auburn before going to the SEC Tournament in Atlanta's Georgia Dome Mar. 13-16.

Auburn, which has eight weekend home games out of 16 in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum, returns all their top players from last year's 17-15 (7-9 SEC) team that came within 40 seconds of winning the SEC's Western Division. It marked Auburn's first winning season since the 2003 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 run. The Tigers return all eight players who started last season, including five who averaged double-digit points in addition to junior Quantez Robertson, who has started all 60 games of his collegiate career.

The veteran team with three seniors and four juniors is led by Josh Dollard (12.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg), Prowell (12.0 ppg, 43% 3fgs), Tolbert (11.8 ppg), Korvotney Barber (11.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg), Rasheem Barrett (11.0 ppg), Robertson (8.2 ppg, 5.1 apg) and 2007 Freshman All-SEC DeWayne Reed (5.4 ppg, 3.0 apg).

Tigers Unlimited, the fund-raising organization for the Auburn University Athletics Department, is currently accepting basketball ticket priority contributions for the upcoming season. A contribution to Tigers Unlimited will secure the best seating available at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum and allow you to enjoy all of the exciting home action.

For more information, please call the Tigers Unlimited or Athletic Department ticket office at 1-800-AUB-1957 or visit www.auburntigers.com.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, Contact: Chuck Gallina (334) 844-9800 August 25, 2007

2007-08 AUBURN BASKETBALL SCHEDULE (all times Central)

Nov. 1 Bluefield College (exh.), 7 pm

Nov. 9 at Tulane, TBA

Nov. 13 Kennesaw State, 7 pm

Nov. 16 at Alabama State, 7 pm

Nov. 19 (1) Charleston Southern, 6 pm

Dec. 2 (2) George Washington, 4 pm

Dec. 5 (3) West Virginia (ESPN2), 8:30 pm

Dec. 15 (4) Southern, TBA

Dec. 19 Mercer, 7 pm

Dec. 22 Alabama A&M, 7 pm

Dec. 29 Towson University, 1 pm

Jan. 2 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 7 pm

Jan. 6 Xavier (FSN), 2 pm

Jan. 10 Arkansas (ESPN/ESPN2), 8 pm

Jan. 12 at Florida (LFS), 11 am

Jan. 16 at LSU, 7 pm

Jan. 19 Ole Miss (FSN), 4 pm

Jan. 22 Presbyterian College, 7 pm

Jan. 26 at Alabama (LFS), 2 pm

Jan. 30 LSU, 7 pm

Feb. 2 at Vanderbilt (FSN), 4 pm

Feb. 6 Kentucky (LFS), 7 pm

Feb. 9 Mississippi State (FSN), 6 pm

Feb. 16 at Ole Miss (FSN), 4 pm

Feb. 20 at Tennessee, 6:30 pm

Feb. 24 Alabama (CBS), 1 pm

Feb. 27 at Mississippi State, 7 pm

Mar. 1 South Carolina (FSN), 5 pm

Mar. 5 Georgia, 7 pm

Mar. 8 at Arkansas, 2 pm

Mar. 13-16 (5) SEC Tournament (LFS/CBS)

(1) North Charleston, SC (North Charleston Coliseum)

(2) BB&T Classic (Washington, DC - Verizon Center)

(3) Big East/SEC Invitational (Birmingham, AL - BJCC Arena)

(4) Coors Classic (Mobile, AL - Mitchell Center)

(5) Atlanta, GA (Georgia Dome)

* All Times Central

[autiger311 0]

can't wait to bring the Lebo's Lunatics swagger back home to mobile!!!!!!

[autkidd 0]

Wooo... Just started a facebook group to get the news out about the first Regular season home game... which is my bday!!!

To be honest I'm more excited about bball this year than football!!!!!!!!!!!

[auburn97 0]

Wooo... Just started a facebook group to get the news out about the first Regular season home game... which is my bday!!!

To be honest I'm more excited about bball this year than football!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't wait for this years team. I really feel like we have a shot to make it to the dance. However the one thing I can't understand is why we play such a crappy non conference schedule. You really can only make a case that we are playing two quality teams in WVU and Xavier.....Let's put a couple heavyweights on their next year Auburn....Does anybody else agree?

[mowegl 4]

well I will agree - it is a pretty pathetic non conference schedule especially considering only 1 of those is a home game (Xavier). George Washington is also a descent opponent though. Lebo says that none of the big boys wanted to play us this year especially at home because we will we be a good team but wont get a lot of respect from the media. Therefore theyre kind of in a lose lose situation.

[SLAG-91 1,483]

A happy medium between last year's non-conference (which was a little too heavy for our fairly young team) and this year's non-conference (which may be a little soft for our now more experienced team) would have been optimal, but...it's done and you play who is in front of you.

I expect some sort of postseason this year...NCAAs would be great (and that will be the team's goal without a doubt, as it should be), but it would be underachieving for this team to not even make the NIT.

[Auburn85 432]

In the 98-99 season, Auburn and Florida was televised on CBS. The game was at Beard Eaves.

[mowegl 4]

In the 98-99 season, Auburn and Florida was televised on CBS. The game was at Beard Eaves.

Thank you for that tidbit of completely irrelevant information.

[Auburn85 432]

I was correcting the article.

[mowegl 4]

You are correct http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archiv...ackval=GooglePM

I scanned that article a few times looking for any mention of the CBS coverage...newfangled Find tool.