Is Jeff Lebo's job safe?

[AU alum 2]

I hope so! I had heard some people earlier this year saying that he had to do much better this year to save his job. Do you think he is?

[autigeremt 7,537]

No.....unless we show more improvement. He needs to win 20 games.

[AU alum 2]

You mean we've got to win 8 games out of 12 to go or he should be fired? Don't you see a big improvement this year?

[AUdmd07 2]

I don't know if we have to win 20, but I think we have to play in the postseason. To qualify for the NIT, you probably need to be in the 18-19 win range at least.

Right now after today's win, we sit at 2-3 in the SEC (2-0 against the West though) and 12-7 overall. We'll be 13-7 after the gimme win against the directional Texas school in the midweek game. With 11 conference games to go and at least 1 SEC tourney game, a 6-6 split of those games will get us to 19 wins. Anything less than that would and should be considered a disappointment and may cost Lebo his job.

This has been an up and down season thus far. Here's the remaining schedule:

1/27 UTPA 8:00 PM

1/31 VAN 2:00 PM

2/04 @ MISS 8:00 PM

2/07 TENN 1:00 PM

2/11 ARK 8:00 PM

2/14 MSU 5:00 PM

2/18 @ GA 7:30 PM

2/21 @ LSU 8:00 PM

2/25 MISS 8:00 PM

2/28 @ MSU 6:00 PM

3/03 @ ALA 9:00 PM

3/07 LSU TBA

[TitanTiger 22,249]

He's not safe by any means. We're better due to having some depth, which allows us to play more aggressive press defense more often. But I think he's got to make the NIT to be back next year, which generally means at least 18 wins and going .500 in your conference.

[PChamp119 96]

We got robbed two years ago with not getting an NIT bid.

Looking at that schedule, it looks pretty weak? UT is the only game that I say is automatically a loss and even they aren't as great as they have been recently. I think 6 wins is very possible. Whether we get 6 on the other hand is a completely different situation.

[rtftiger 40]

Even if we don't make the NIT this year, I'd like to see them give him one year in the new facility.

[Tigermike 4,240]

Even if we don't make the NIT this year, I'd like to see them give him one year in the new facility.

Me too. Plus he does have a pretty good recruiting class coming in.

[WDE4 0]

I think he is gone unless he makes the postseason. I really think he may be gone unless he makes the big dance. Today was a good first step to saving his job. IMO he needs to make the big dance or we need to hire anthony grant.

[autigeremt 7,537]

We are better because the SEC is down and the team is senior driven. What happens when we lose those seniors? He needs to win 20 I think, or at least NIT.

[AUslug 1]

Lebo does not need to lose to UGA this year, but anything short of a postseason berth means he is gone. He has been here 5 years and not much has improved.

[buzzurd24 11]

I think he needs to be careful, with Jay Jacobs around, JJ can screw anything up without any signs and he'd be gone. JJ just seems to make coaches leave, period.

[Justin5 20]

I'd also be willing to give him a couple of years in the new arena before pulling the plug.

[aumd03 2]

I don't think some of the pre-SEC losses can be explained (ie mercer) but our SEC record doesn't look so bad with Florida being dominant (we were in that game) and SC beating them. And we win the other 2 in dominant fashion. I'm holding out hope for this season.

[rtftiger 40]

I think that the Mercer loss is actually a bit misleading. Mercer was playing some really good basketball. Their star was hurt not long after they defeated us. By all accounts, he was a stud. We certainly couldn't stop him.

[PChamp119 96]

I think that the Mercer loss is actually a bit misleading. Mercer was playing some really good basketball. Their star was hurt not long after they defeated us. By all accounts, he was a stud. We certainly couldn't stop him.

Yea and it wasn't that bad losing to Vanderbilt this year because they got to a bowl game.

Wake up... it was Mercer!

Would you say the same thing if our football team lost to Mercer in a down year because Mercer had a great Quarterback?

[AUslug 1]

I think that the Mercer loss is actually a bit misleading. Mercer was playing some really good basketball. Their star was hurt not long after they defeated us. By all accounts, he was a stud. We certainly couldn't stop him.

Yea and it wasn't that bad losing to Vanderbilt this year because they got to a bowl game.

Wake up... it was Mercer!

Would you say the same thing if our football team lost to Mercer in a down year because Mercer had a great Quarterback?

I'm willing to let the Mercer loss slide but Dayton? They went 0-24 from the 3 pt stripe and set an NCAA record and yet Auburn still lost to them?

[outoftowntiger 0]

the Mercer football analogy is weak. lots of smaller "lesser" schools in terms of athletics have quality basketball programs. you can debate whether Mercer "is" or at one time "was" a quality opponent this season, but to bring Vandy and football into the discussion is silly.

[bird36 5]

I do not want to see ANY Auburn coach lose their job as long as Jay Jacobs is AD. Once Jacobs is gone then maybe we can consider which programs are not going in the right direction, but until then we are better off with the status-quo than letting JJ make more decisions.

[AUdmd07 2]

Yeah let's not bring football into a discussion about basketball.

Mercer and Dayton were both bad losses... not much else to say about it. However, the team has been improving since the Dayton loss. We lost to a decent Northern Iowa squad (currently top in their conference) and lost by single digits to Xavier. After the Xavier loss, we have won 7 in a row and 9 out of our last 12. We played UK and UF both close before fading in the final few minutes due to our lack of size and poor free throw shooting. Things are looking better than the past couple seasons, but I hope we finish well for the senior's and Lebo's sake.

[WDE4 0]

Don't overlook the fact that dayton is 18-2. Not a great team but not bad either. They shot the three poorly against us but im sure we shot ft's poorly.

[DCWarEagle 0]

It is going to be close, Lebo needs to improve over the last few seasons to be secure. With the new arena opening next season, Auburn will be looking to make a splash. That means either we get to the post-season this year and thus Lebo has momentum, or we will have a new coach to start a new "era" to break in the new arena.

At this point, things look okay, but they could go either way. Thrashing Arkansas the other night helped. As others have noted, we are 12-7 and should win our next one to be 13-7. Then we have eleven games left. With a decent second half of SEC play and any wins at all in the SEC tournament, 18-20 wins is possible and that should get us at least into the NIT. If we fall apart down the stretch, I think we will be looking for a new coach, which will be scary with Jacobs in charge.

And our women will hopefully carry some excitement into next year. Would be nice to be able to put some new banners in the new arena.

[IndyTiger 3]

It is going to be close, Lebo needs to improve over the last few seasons to be secure. With the new arena opening next season, Auburn will be looking to make a splash. That means either we get to the post-season this year and thus Lebo has momentum, or we will have a new coach to start a new "era" to break in the new arena.

At this point, things look okay, but they could go either way. Thrashing Arkansas the other night helped. As others have noted, we are 12-7 and should win our next one to be 13-7. Then we have eleven games left. With a decent second half of SEC play and any wins at all in the SEC tournament, 18-20 wins is possible and that should get us at least into the NIT. If we fall apart down the stretch, I think we will be looking for a new coach, which will be scary with Jacobs in charge.

And our women will hopefully carry some excitement into next year. Would be nice to be able to put some new banners in the new arena.

I hope everyone realizes the new stadium is not set to open next season, but the one after that. If you have been to campus and have seen the construction site you would know it is nowhere near being finished.

[DCWarEagle 0]

It is going to be close, Lebo needs to improve over the last few seasons to be secure. With the new arena opening next season, Auburn will be looking to make a splash. That means either we get to the post-season this year and thus Lebo has momentum, or we will have a new coach to start a new "era" to break in the new arena.

At this point, things look okay, but they could go either way. Thrashing Arkansas the other night helped. As others have noted, we are 12-7 and should win our next one to be 13-7. Then we have eleven games left. With a decent second half of SEC play and any wins at all in the SEC tournament, 18-20 wins is possible and that should get us at least into the NIT. If we fall apart down the stretch, I think we will be looking for a new coach, which will be scary with Jacobs in charge.

And our women will hopefully carry some excitement into next year. Would be nice to be able to put some new banners in the new arena.

I hope everyone realizes the new stadium is not set to open next season, but the one after that. If you have been to campus and have seen the construction site you would know it is nowhere near being finished.

You are right, thanks. Basketball season is confusing b/c the seasons have two years in them (2008-2009, 2009-2010, etc) and I can never remember when one starts and one ends. But yes, the arena is set for 2010-2011, which is season after next, not next season.

I still think Lebo needs to improve to keep his job. He has had several years and we have seen no improvement in record. Hopefully we can close strong.