Auburn vs. MSU

[AuburnBasketball 0]

I personally liked what I saw from Chris Denson today. I think he needs to start playing more often than he does, but that's just me. Josh Wallace has the heart of a lion and I love him for what he does and the effort he gives each and every game, but I just think Denson can give us a little more offense from the PG position.

Barbee said he was going to give Denson more minutes but he wont ever play over Wallace wallace is too good of a passer(3rd in the SEC in assits)and way to good defensively(leads the SEC in steals).And Denson is not really good at either of those

[AuburnTigers1 0]

This isn't an attack on anybody involved with the current b-ball program, but would it be any worse had we gotten the death penalty. I mean, our caliber of player just isn't that good. It hurts me to watch us do so poorly. I've always liked basketball. It has always been something fun to keep up with and occupy time after football season. It doesn't even excite me when we are on tv anymore. I just can't stand to watch us get beat up like we do.

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

The fans need to stick by this team. They're hurting a lot worse than we are. Win or lose...they are still Auburn Tigers, and they are giving it all they've got. It has to be humiliating to them, and very hard to get up  mentally for a game. Fan support would mean a lot to these kids.

It's easy to be a fan when your team is winning....

WDE!

[ShugFan 0]

Not that I should care anymore, but this is the 3rd game in a row I have turned on in recent days and found AU with a grand total of less than 9 points. I didn't think it was possible for AU to look worse than the 6 points they put up in the first half vs LSU, but with 10 minutes 30 seconds left in the first AU just scored it's 5th point. It's god awful performances like this that make it so difficult for AU fans to want to buy in and support our basketball team.

You should probably change your name.

And maybe give some thought to the old saying "If you can't say something nice, just shut-up"

[AUFan1 0]

Not that I should care anymore, but this is the 3rd game in a row I have turned on in recent days and found AU with a grand total of less than 9 points. I didn't think it was possible for AU to look worse than the 6 points they put up in the first half vs LSU, but with 10 minutes 30 seconds left in the first AU just scored it's 5th point. It's god awful performances like this that make it so difficult for AU fans to want to buy in and support our basketball team.

You should probably change your name.

And maybe give some thought to the old saying "If you can't say something nice, just shut-up"

I don't think I will be changing my name or shutting up. There is no excuse for a team that beat FSU (who just beat #1Duke) to make it to 20 points once in the first half vs 3 SEC schools. Regardless of how much talent this team has, the win over FSU should have been a building point for this program, but instead we regressed by scoring 6 points in the first half against a bad LSU team. The all time NCAA low is 4 points in a half btw.

We spent god knows how many seasons with Lebo saying wait till next year, we are gonna be good. I'm getting tired of waiting. I never expected this team to make a run in the tourney, but I did expect them to show up and be respectable. They shouldn't be getting their heads beat in 25 3 every game before most fans have gotten comfortable in their seats.

There is always some excuse when it comes to AU basketball. We are either too young, too short, no talent, bad facilities, wait till next year, blah blah blah. Why don't we stop making excuses and feeling sorry for our team, and start holding them accountable? Why should the team care if fans don't care enough to voice their displeasure at watching the basketball program crash and burn every week? Support the team, but don't sit there and accept that this brand of basketball is ok just because we don't have great talent. I just watched AU win a BCSNC without an excessive amount of talent because guys elevated their game and played as a team...

[bills83au 0]

The fans need to stick by this team. They're hurting a lot worse than we are. Win or lose...they are still Auburn Tigers, and they are giving it all they've got. It has to be humiliating to them, and very hard to get up  mentally for a game. Fan support would mean a lot to these kids.

It's easy to be a fan when your team is winning....

WDE!

This^

I agree 100%.

AUFAN1, you need to remember that these are 18-21 yr old kids. if you want to hold Barbee accountable for kids he did not recruit, go ahead. but don't blame the kids. Lebo is as much to blame as anyone for where we are...no seniors. no leadership. To me that is the key....nobody has stepped up and taken that role. it is 5 guys out doing their thing. As Barbee said, we might get beat, but the other team won't out work us. I do like that about this team...sometimes, or a lot of the time, it doesn't seem like they can buy a basket...but i have not seen them quit. That is all you can ask of this group...play hard. We will just have to have some patience and endure the re-building process....but we need to support this team that we have now.

[AUFan1 0]

The fans need to stick by this team. They're hurting a lot worse than we are. Win or lose...they are still Auburn Tigers, and they are giving it all they've got. It has to be humiliating to them, and very hard to get up  mentally for a game. Fan support would mean a lot to these kids.

It's easy to be a fan when your team is winning....

WDE!

This^

I agree 100%.

AUFAN1, you need to remember that these are 18-21 yr old kids. if you want to hold Barbee accountable for kids he did not recruit, go ahead. but don't blame the kids. Lebo is as much to blame as anyone for where we are...no seniors. no leadership. To me that is the key....nobody has stepped up and taken that role. it is 5 guys out doing their thing. As Barbee said, we might get beat, but the other team won't out work us. I do like that about this team...sometimes, or a lot of the time, it doesn't seem like they can buy a basket...but i have not seen them quit. That is all you can ask of this group...play hard. We will just have to have some patience and endure the re-building process....but we need to support this team that we have now.

It doesn't matter who recruited these players. My point is I have seen these players play at a level where they can actually compete and win games. (See the victory over FSU) Scoring 6 points in one half of bball is unacceptable on any level. I didn't expect to win a lot of games this year, but I expected more than just playing hard. I expected them to be competitive, and not get blown out before the game reached the 12 minute mark. These guys are better than 6 points or 20 points a half. Not dogging the players, I just simply believe they can play much better than they have shown.

[AuburnTigers1 0]

AuFan1 I agree with you. I watched the FSU game. I saw a different basketball team that night. We played solid offense and solid defense. I was starting to believe Barbee was showing us what we had to look forward to in the future. If he can't turn this team around, wait until he gets some players in here. Then we get to LSU. A team that I thought we had a good chance of beating. We all know how that turned out. There is no excuse for what we've seen the last 3 games. NONE! We showed we could compete. Now we look like a YMCA team. If Barbee is the coach everybody claims he is, we should see improvement. Not winning NC's in his first year, but what about winning a few SEC games. Maybe one we shouldn't have. I know he's not the only one to blame, but the fact is, you can have all the outstanding players and win NC's. What do you do when you don't have all the best players. To me that is where you grade a coach. Frankly, many of us on this message board could win with some of the teams Coach K has had or Roy Williams or Calipari. These guys are still competitive for the most part year in and year out because they can flat out coach and get the very best out of their players. Why is that so much to ask of Coach Barbee?

[bills83au 0]

Surprisingly, we outshot the Semis and I think their coach really failed to take advantage of their inside game against us...like most everyone else has. I think Frankie making an appearance helped in that game as a lift. With him gone and no starters back and no senior or other leadership to pull them together or gel any kind of chemistry, they struggle. There has been little consistency from week to week with the players and who is on and who is not. I have no explanation for why we cannot hit 6 ' jump shots and basically lose the game in the first half because we cannot score. I find it frustrating when we hit a 3 making a late run, but nobody is back on D to stop the opposition from getting an easy dunk...that has happened a lot.

My primary point as was Tigerbelle's is they are our team and we should support them. Complain if you want or must, but they are all we have and we should support them. Trash the coach if you are not satisfied with what he is doing or not doing, not the players.  If you just cannot stand it, don't watch them. 

[AuburnTigers1 0]

They will always have my support. I will continue to watch them and cheer for them. I hope they can turn it around at some point. My point was simple, we should see improvement. I haven't seen any aside from 1 game. We looked like a basketball team that day! What is the reason we can't do that consistently? That's the question I have. I understand we aren't gonna win a lot of games. I knew that long ago. I didn't expect us to be so bad that we can't score but 6 points in a half. In my honest opinion there is no excuse for that. LSU isn't that good. To me they were worse than FSU and my point was somewhat proven when they beat Duke!

[bills83au 0]

I certainly agree that regardless of how good or bad our play might be, there should be improvement from game to game, from week to week....building upon that foundation to make a better team and hopefully result in better play and some victories to build on for next season.

FSU has been fun-e, they have had Duke's number from time to time and that is not the first time they have knocked off a #1 in their place.  I did not expect to win that one either.

And not sure we could do it again this year.

But, do we hope we can get a win or some wins in SEC play before it's over this year.

It certainly has been humbling, but yellilng for them just the same!

[ShugFan 0]

I gotta wonder if any of the complainers in here even follow basketball closely.

When team and floor leader Frankie Sullivan returned AU went 4 - 0.  Since he reinjured his knee AU is 0 - 3.

Yes, in basketball, ONE player can make a huge difference. Especially if he is the heart and soul of the team.

After a bunch more like Sullivan suit up the results will be much different.

[bills83au 0]

that was one of the points I was making...you have a bunch of young guys...little experience... a walk on point guard....no veterans...and....here we are.  That said, as mentioned, it is not unreasonable to expect improvement from week to week with what you have...whether that results in a win or not.

And yes, one player can make a difference and elevate the play of those around them....I think that can happen in football too.....

[AuburnTigers1 0]

Nah, I don't know crap about basketball. I just like to come on this board and talk about basketball even though I don't have a clue about the sport or our team. Spare me! Why in the world would somebody that hasn't ever followed our basketball team decide to jump on the bandwagon NOW, when things are at the worst possible! That's not very smart logic.

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

I gotta wonder if any of the complainers in here even follow basketball closely.

When team and floor leader Frankie Sullivan returned AU went 4 - 0.  Since he reinjured his knee AU is 0 - 3.

Yes, in basketball, ONE player can make a huge difference. Especially if he is the heart and soul of the team.

After a bunch more like Sullivan suit up the results will be much different.

I agree with you. With Frankie being unable to play....there's a huge hole, and there's no one else who's able to fill it.

It's just unfortunate.

[AuburnBasketball 0]

hey guys can we cant use "we have a walkon point guard" as an excuse anymore because frankly Wallace is playing a whole lot better than a walkon he leads the SEC in steals and is 3rd in assists.

[bills83au 0]

His play has improved significantly from the beginning of the season and nobody on the court puts forth more effort.  Not many basketball teams go far with a walk on at point guard...perhaps he will get a scholly soon, but as thin as we are there, not sure.  When he has to sit....well.....

[AuburnBasketball 0]

His play has improved significantly from the beginning of the season and nobody on the court puts forth more effort.  Not many basketball teams go far with a walk on at point guard...perhaps he will get a scholly soon, but as thin as we are there, not sure.  When he has to sit....well.....

he wont ever get a athletic scholarship because he is already on full academic scholarship

[AUFan1 0]

I'm not a huge basketball guy, but I do like to watch and listen to AU play. I guess you could say I'm on the fence when it comes to basketball in general. So with fans like me out here who want to get more into it, how am I supposed to be won over when I watch a product put on the floor that scores 6 points in a half of ball, or doesn't break the 25 point mark once in 3 games? How am I supposed to get excited about that? It's not gonna make me rush out and buy tickets or drive 3 hours to see a game. This team is capable of playing much better than they have the last 3 games.

[bills83au 0]

His play has improved significantly from the beginning of the season and nobody on the court puts forth more effort.  Not many basketball teams go far with a walk on at point guard...perhaps he will get a scholly soon, but as thin as we are there, not sure.  When he has to sit....well.....

he wont ever get a athletic scholarship because he is already on full academic scholarship

[/Quote]

Very Cool! I did not know that. Excellent!

[augolf1716 21,153]

His play has improved significantly from the beginning of the season and nobody on the court puts forth more effort.  Not many basketball teams go far with a walk on at point guard...perhaps he will get a scholly soon, but as thin as we are there, not sure.  When he has to sit....well.....

he wont ever get a athletic scholarship because he is already on full academic scholarship

[/Quote]

Very Cool! I did not know that. Excellent!

He is a very smart kid with great grades.

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

I'm not a huge basketball guy, but I do like to watch and listen to AU play. I guess you could say I'm on the fence when it comes to basketball in general. So with fans like me out here who want to get more into it, how am I supposed to be won over when I watch a product put on the floor that scores 6 points in a half of ball, or doesn't break the 25 point mark once in 3 games? How am I supposed to get excited about that? It's not gonna make me rush out and buy tickets or drive 3 hours to see a game. This team is capable of playing much better than they have the last 3 games.

[/quote

For starters....it's not a "product".....it's college kids who are having a nightmare season, and could use a little moral support from the fans while they try to regroup. Auburn basketball is rebuilding after years of neglect, and these team members have the difficult job of being the first team out of the Barbee gate after all the chaos. I don't blame them for the current situation because they didn't create it.

[AUFan1 0]

For starters "product" is used all the time to describe what is put on the field, the court, or where ever. In a strictly money terms college sports is a multi billion dollar business. It's a product, it's a package, it has a real monetary value, so come off the high horse. I was speaking in terms of what is put on the court.

Secondly before you try calling me out, try reading what I said. For the millionth time I have said I want to see these guys play to their abilities, because I believe they are better than 6 freaking points in a half. That's not a random assumption, I've seen them play and beat a pretty good team in FSU. So I am not buying this crap of we are incapable of scoring more than 20 points in a half of basketball. I'm not asking them to make it to the final 4, I'm asking them to make easy layups and free throws.

Making excuses for our team is not helping them. I'm not bashing them, but I am trying to hold them to a higher standard, than just wait till next year. I want guys playing and making shots because that's what we expect from them.

With that said, maybe there is one or two players out there reading this. I hope they realize that at least one fan gives a crap and believes they are much better than they are showing, and steps their game up.

[augolf1716 21,153]

Wow 4 pages for a BB thread. Good passion for our BB team guys. This is going to be a rough BB season. The future is bright for the team.

[AuburnTigers1 0]

AUFan1:

For starters "product" is used all the time to describe what is put on the field, the court, or where ever. In a strictly money terms college sports is a multi billion dollar business. It's a product, it's a package, it has a real monetary value, so come off the high horse. I was speaking in terms of what is put on the court.

Secondly before you try calling me out, try reading what I said. For the millionth time I have said I want to see these guys play to their abilities, because I believe they are better than 6 freaking points in a half. That's not a random assumption, I've seen them play and beat a pretty good team in FSU. So I am not buying this crap of we are incapable of scoring more than 20 points in a half of basketball. I'm not asking them to make it to the final 4, I'm asking them to make easy layups and free throws.

Making excuses for our team is not helping them. I'm not bashing them, but I am trying to hold them to a higher standard, than just wait till next year. I want guys playing and making shots because that's what we expect from them.

With that said, maybe there is one or two players out there reading this. I hope they realize that at least one fan gives a crap and believes they are much better than they are showing, and steps their game up.

^^^^THIS^^^^ That is exactly right. If I was on that basketball team I would want us held to a higher standard as well. I try to think how I would feel if somebody said it was ok for us to be that bad because we just aren't that good and we need to get better players. You wanna talk about a slap in the face. That is a major insult in my mind.