It must be a slow news day today, because the sAUsage is a little lighter than normal. Unfortunately, you might have to find supplemental entertainment to waste time at the office this afternoon.

It's no surprise, but Kenny Gabriel is questionable for Saturday's basketball game against Arkansas with a badly bruised lower back. Anyone that saw the falls KG took against Florida must be amazed that he can even walk right now.

Gabriel proved just how valuable he is to Auburn when he left the game for good on Tuesday. With KG out, Florida went on a 21-8 run to end the game.

In addition to its No. 24 ranking in the NFCA Poll, the Auburn softball team is ranked 19th in the ESPN/USA Today Poll. No. 19 seems to be a more accurate ranking for a team with the kind of resume that Auburn has.

College Baseball Daily is already projecting this year's NCAA Tournament field. After a 1-2 weekend against Missouri, Auburn doesn't make the cut.

After a 22-0 drubbing on Tuesday, the Tigers host Alcorn State today at 3 p.m. Let's see if the Auburn bats have any life left in them.

Folks up in Penn State Country are trying to hype up new defensive coordinator Ted Roof, which makes all of us down in Auburn chuckle.

A sad story out of Lubbock, Texas: An 87-year-old man, who was involved in a serious car accident on Nov. 1 with Suzanne Tuberville, has died. Suzanne is the wife of former Auburn football coach, Tommy. Details of the man's death have not been released.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Nell Fortner is resigning from her position as the head women's basketball coach at Auburn at the end of this season. Charles Goldberg (@AUGoldMine) was the first to report the news. 

Fortner and the Lady Tigers are 11-16 overall and 3-11 in the SEC this year. They have games remaining against Alabama and Ole Miss. Those two games will serve as Nell Fortner's farewell tour. And we think she deserves that.

She led one of the most dominant Auburn teams ever in 2008-2009. That team went 30-4. A fond memory of that season is Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols coming to a full Beard - Eaves Memorial Coliseum and walking away defeated. 

We wish Nell the best of luck and would like to thank her for all of her contributions to Auburn University. 

War Eagle, Nell. 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

The men's basketball team plays at Florida tonight, and the Tigers are looking for their second straight win over a top 25 team. If Auburn can pull off the upset, it'll be the first time since 1986 that the program has won back-to-back games over ranked opponents. Auburn-Florida is set for a 6 pm tip-off on ESPNU.

Believe it or not, beating a top 25 Mississippi State team has given the Tigers confidence going into the Florida game. We're sure you're just as shocked to hear that as we are.

Florida guard Mike Rosario could be back in the lineup tonight against the Tigers. Rosario averages about eight points per game and is a 38-percent 3-point shooter.

Gator head coach Billy Donovan is trying to keep his team's focus squarely on tonight's game against the Tigers. With upcoming games against Vanderbilt and Kentucky, the Gators could very well be looking past Auburn. Let's hope that's the case.

David Dahl, a senior at Oak Mountain High School and Auburn baseball prospect, is the 10th-best high school player in the country, according to Baseball America. 

Kevin Ives gives us our baseball STAT of the Union for Week 1. Despite a 1-2 start, Auburn is faring well, comparatively, to other SEC teams. Ives also makes a few predictions for this week's SEC games.

Auburn baseball hosts Alcorn State today and Wednesday. First Pitch for both games is set for 3 p.m.

Lauren Schmalz was named SEC softball pitcher of the week on Tuesday. All Schmalz did over the weekend was pick up wins over then-No. 15 Oklahoma State and No. 23 Georgia Tech. At 8-0, the Tigers are ranked for the first time this season, coming in at No. 24. Frankly, we think that's a little low after a 3-0 weekend that included two wins over ranked opponents and one no-hitter.

In an effort to obtain ALL THE OFFENSIVE LINEMEN, Auburn has offered a scholarship to Maryland transfer Max Garcia. Garcia is 6-4, 310 pounds, and has decided that he wants to play closer to his hometown of Norcross, Ga.

Former Tiger quarterback Jason Campbell and his fiancee ran an audible over the weekend, calling off their wedding just hours before it was supposed to happen. No matter the reason, the guests that had already made the trip to the Dominican Republic must have been thrilled to hear the news.

Another former quarterback, a guy you might remember named Cam Newton, recently starred in an Under Armour commercial that will debut during the NFL combine. Have you missed the incessant crying of Cam haters during the offseason? If you open your ears, we're sure you'll hear them again very soon.

Missouri is going to have to "step up" if it wants to be across-the-board competitive in the SEC. The third edition of the conference's Tigers might be in just a bit over its head.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Auburn plays host to both baseball and basketball this week.  “All In Weekend” may be over, but a spring semester full of sports is just getting started.  We hope to see you at Plainsman Park or Auburn Arena this week.  War Eagle! 

Tuesday, February 21st 

Baseball vs. Alcorn State, Plainsman Park, 3:00 PM

This is the first Two for Tuesday of the season at Plainsman Park.  Tickets are buy one get one free so leave work early, find a friend, and watch some baseball.

Wednesday, February 22nd

Baseball vs. Alcorn State, Plainsman Park, 3:00 PM

This game will serve as youth night, even though 3:00 PM isn’t exactly what we would consider nighttime.  All youth 12 & under will receive free admission if accompanied by a paying adult.

Thursday, February 23rd

Women’s Basketball vs. Alabama, Auburn Arena, 8:00 PM

It’s All Auburn, All Orange night at Auburn Arena as the Tigers play host to Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl of women’s hoops.  This will also serve as the green game, with charitable organizations on hand to collect used cellphones, eyeglasses, and books.  As always, Kinnucan’s t-shirts will be thrown to the crowd, Chick-Fil-A cows will rain down from the rafters, and the Tiger Paws will perform a dazzling dance number at half time.

Saturday, February 25th

Men’s Basketball vs. Arkansas, Auburn Arena, 3:00 PM

Auburn looks to build on the momentum of the last home game as they welcome Arkansas to the Auburn Arena.  Charter will be giving sunglass cases to the first 1,000 fans in attendance.  Kinnucan’s and Chick-Fil-A will be providing their usual goodies to the loudest fans. 

Sunday, February 26th

Women’s Basketball vs. Ole Miss, Auburn Arena, 2:30 PM

The women’s hoops team will look to salvage its SEC season on Senior Day at Auburn Arena.  Much like Thursday night, this will be another green game so bring your used cellphones, eyeglasses, and books to donate.  The first 500 fans will be leaving with mini basketball hoops.  The Tiger Paws will electrify the crowd with a performance at halftime.  This will be one of your last chances to catch a t-shirt or parachuting cow at the Arena this school year, so don’t miss it.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Harvey Updyke's attorney says stuff that will likely make your blood boil. Updyke's trial for allegedly poisoning the Toomer's oaks is set to begin on March 5. Just remeber, despite what those in Tuscaloosa will try to tell you, THIS IS ALABAMA FOOTBALL.

In other Auburn/legal-related news, the attorney for former Auburn DB Mike McNeil has argued to suppress evidence in McNeil's upcoming armed robbery case. That trial, too, is tentatively set to begin March 5.

Birmingham News columnist Jon Soloman takes a look at the state of college basketbal in Alabama. Unsuprisingly, the results aren't pretty.

What kind of non-conference opponents have SEC teams scheduled in 2012? A few teams will be plying against some real competition -- like Auburn opening against Clemson in Atlanta -- but there are plenty of cupcakes to satisfy the conference's sweet tooth.

If you didn't realize that this past weekend was a pretty big athletic event on the Plains, we aren't really sure why you're reading an Auburn sports blog. But in case you missed any of the results, here's a recap of the All In Weekend:

The Auburn men's basketball team recorded it's biggest win of the Tony Barbee era, upsetting No. 23 Mississippi State at Auburn Arena. Hopefully, the team can use that win as a springboard to a strong finish and build momentum going into next season.

Gymnastics lost at home to No. 2 Florida, but the 17th-ranked Tigers achieved the second-best score in school history.

Men's swimming and diving won its 16th consecutive SEC title and the conference championships in Knoxville. The Auburn women placed a solid fourth.

The top-ranked equestrian team fell to No. 3 Georgia. The teams actually tied, but Georgia won by virtue of more raw points. A tie that is really a loss? That reminds us of the 1994 Auburn-Georgia football game.

Softball had a stellar weekend, beating No. 15 Oklahoma State on Friday and Virginia Tech and No. 23 Georgia Tech on Sunday. The Tigers are now 8-0 and already have recorded two no-hitters on the young season. 

Baseball started strong with a 5-2 win over Missouri on Friday, but the bad Tigers swept Games 2 and 3 on Sunday, knocking the good Tigers to 1-2 on the year. On the bright side, Auburn's Derek Varnadore was named SEBaseball.com's pitcher of the week thanks to his 11 K, one run performance on Friday.

Men's tennis went 1-2 at the ITA Indoor Championships in Charlottesville, Va. The Tigers defeated Baylor but lost to Virginia and Texas.

Women's basketball dropped to 3-11 in SEC play after a 16-point loss at LSU.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

I love Auburn men’s basketball. I always liked college basketball, and I grew up loving Georgetown. It wasn’t until I was a student at Auburn that I fell hard for Auburn basketball as a Cliff Dweller. I worked a lot while I was in school – mostly waiting tables – and big money days were always home football games. Basketball always seemed to work better with my schedule so I got to go to those games. When I graduated from Auburn, my first job had me on the road Monday through Thursday. I haven’t always been fortunate enough to be staffed on projects with large teams so I have spent more time than I care to admit holed up in hotel rooms with room service. A familiar and beloved friend has always been there for me -- Auburn basketball. So many times I have been so far from Toomer’s lemonade and Momma’s Love, but I could watch my guys on television and feel like I was back on the Plains. Sometimes it was the only real connection I had back to the Plains, especially when I was living and working all over the country – San Francisco, Chicago, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Houston, Columbus (Ohio).

This is the first year since I graduated from Auburn that I have had the opportunity to own season tickets and actively attend. My basketball love can easily be described as intense, and I understand that I probably come across as a “sunshine pumper” type of fan. There have been plenty of times this year I could have tossed in the towel. I was at Vanderbilt with their fancy raised court when it rained 3's. I stared at the television in horror the night FSU seemed to pass and shoot without regard to laws of speed. I was in the stands when Bama hit shots they haven’t made all season. One of my friends told me after that particular game that my dedication must be like loving someone that doesn’t love me back. I thought about that for a long time, probably longer than I should have. I guess I love Auburn basketball the way some people love their kids. It’s the only way I know how to explain it.

We have seen flashes of genius out of these guys throughout the season. Remember the Hawaii game (and the birth of one of my favorite AU basketball hashtags, #latenightchubb)? Recall the night Kenny Gabriel inked Auburn’s first triple double against Bethune-Cookman? After the loss at Vandy, the Tigers roared back with the near win against Kentucky – did you watch that? What about seeing Frankie Sullivan get his shooting legs in time for the first OT game against Ole Miss? How about Varez Ward exploding against Georgia? Did you notice we are gaining depth that we haven’t had before – the starters are not always set in stone. We are seeing grind-it-out grit from Allen Payne and Adrian Forbes. Chris Denson and Josh Wallace are bringing in energy. We are watching Willy Kouassi grow before our eyes. We are patiently waiting for Josh Langford, the enforcer, to return. Noel Johnson is making shots and getting rebounds. They are on the brink of something. 

It is why I cannot properly express how excited I am about Saturday night’s win over Mississippi State. Tickets sold out before gameday. Despite the miserable weather, the student section was full and loud. It is funny to me that as I sit and write, details of this game escape me. All I can tell you for sure is that I saw KG with a ridiculous reverse dunk. I witnessed Varez Ward and Josh Wallace direct the team with focus and determination. I saw Chubb brush off a mistake and battle it out for a rebound. I watched Frankie hit tough shots. I laughed when Rick Stansbury threw his usual temper tantrum. The most burning memory was seeing KG pull his teammates around him in the final minutes of the game to let them know they were winning this game. I could have gone home then*, because I knew the fate of the game was decided.

Saturday night's win was a sign of great things to come for Auburn on the hardwood. War Damn.

*I, of course, stayed until the end. 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Last night, the Auburn men's swimming and diving team won it's sixteenth (16th!) consecutive SEC Championship. To put that in perspective, Auburn has been the reigning SEC Champion since I was six-years-old. Six!  Auburn freshmen were two-year-olds.  As much as I remind myself of this impressive stat, I still can't seem to wrap my head around it. Such dominance in the SEC has only been matched, and bettered, by the University of Florida's volleyball team's 18 SEC title streak from 1991-2008. But last night's win to extend the streak did not come easy; Florida kept the pressure on Auburn until the final race.

The first event of the night was the 1650 free, an event in which Auburn has historically struggled.  Both the men and women, however, had strong showings this year.  Katie Gardocki placed third with a time 16:06.14 and Zane Grothe finished second with an 'A' cut time of 14:50.86.  In the next event, the 200 back stroke, Emily Bos finished sixth for the Tigers.  Kyle Owens and Max Murphy provided a big finish for Auburn with a 1-2 finish in the same event.  Haley Krakoski finished eighth for the women in the 100 free with a time of 49.64.

The men blew the competition open during the the 100 free final with a 1-3-5-7-8 finish.  Marcelo Chierighini finished first for Auburn with a time of 42.45.  There were only three swimmers in the pool who did not have an AU on their cap.  Auburn is traditionally a sprint school and the men lived up to that reputation on Saturday.  The men scored 72.5 points on the event and increased their lead to 97.5 points over Florida.

Freshman Sarah Peterson placed eighth in the 200 breast with a time of 2:13.11.  Stuart Ferguson finished first in the 200 breast prelims but was unable to retain that title in the finals as he finished fifth.  The men and women did not have a swimmer in the 200 fly finals.  Florida finished 1-2-4 in the men's 200 fly final cutting the Auburn lead to just 24.5 points heading into the final event.

Vennie Dantin had another great day for the Tigers as she finished seven points shy of first place in platform diving.  Dantin held the lead going into the final dive, but Tennessee's Victoria Lamp nailed her final dive to take the title.  Dantin scored a 328.50 and Anna Aguero finished fourth with a 271.15.  These senior divers will be sorely missed next year!

It all came down to the final event of the night, the 400 free relay.  Both of Auburn's teams were seeded first going into the final.  The ladies redeemed themselves of their DQ Friday night and finished first with an 'A' cut time of 3:15.62.  Members of the relay included Arianna Vanderpool Wallace, Hannah Riordan, Megan Fonteno, and Haley Krakoski.  Vanderpool Wallace swam her leg of the race with a time of 46.61 which is 0.2 seconds faster than her NCAA record.  Congratulations, Arianna!  The women finished the meet in fourth place with 509.5 points.  As expected by most, the Georgia women were crowned the SEC Champions for the third year in a row (only three? pfft) with a score of 781.  Tennessee finished second with a score of 629.5 and Florida finished third with a score of 566.  Other team scores: LSU (347), Arkansas (267), Alabama (249), South Carolina (237), Kentucky (128) and Vanderbilt (78).

The men only needed to successfully complete the 400 relay in order to win the meet, but instead they finished as champions do -- they took first in the relay with a time of 2:51.66.  Members of the relay include Drew Mordov, James Disney-May, Kyle Owens, and Marcelo Chierighini. Auburn finished the meet with 730 points and Florida finished with 700 points. Other team scores: Georgia (521), Tennessee (459), LSU (426), Alabama (306), Kentucky (246.5), and South Carolina (196).

Now the Tigers will work to bring home yet another NCAA National Championship back home to The Plains. War Eagle!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Before we talk about this meet, it's important to get a little historical perspective.  Two years ago, Auburn gymnastics was a good program.  Not great, but good.  They went out in the early part of the season, put up decent scores...but never got any better as the season went on.  That's an important thing to do in gymnastics.  Teams look to start out at a good point, and improve from that point with every meet.  Harder skills get added to the routines.  Gymnasts get stronger.  That never seemed to happen with the Tigers of a couple of years ago.

Enter Coach Jeff Graba.  Since being hired two years ago as the head coach, he has hit the ground running with recruiting.  He has brought in some impressive talent, most noticably in this recent freshman class.  Coupled with the veteran members of the team, the gymnasts have found a spark that has been lacking, and the program has begun.

Last night's meet against #2 Florida was going to be a tough meet to win for Auburn.  Florida, though being criticized for being sloppy, inconsistent and holding back in their routines was coming into the meet with an average team score that was over a point higher than Auburn's.  Auburn was back in front of their home crowd after two weeks on the road, and a home crowd is an important part of a gymnastics meet.

Auburn opened up the meet on vault.  Vault is the achilles heel of this Tigers team.  The girls can't seem to find their landings, which means they are taking a lot of hops and steps when they are landing that are costing them precious tenths.  Allison Sandusky opened up with a 9.725. Petrina Yokay followed with a 9.7, Brittany Webster with a 9.775, Kylie Shields with a 9.825, and Bri Guy and Toi Garcia with matching scores of 9.875 finished out the rotation for a total score of 49.075.  In gymnastics, a good score for a rotation is a score higher than 49.  When Auburn starts to stick their landings here, all of these scores should improve by at least a tenth.  

*Scoring note: In gymnastics, the top 5 scores on each event counts, so each team will drop the lowest score on each rotation. 

Over on bars, Florida rattled off scores of 9.825, 9.825, 9.85, 9.9, 9.95 and 9.925 for a total score of 49.4.  Florida had some impressive bar routines.  They had an extremely high level of difficulty in all of their routines, and almost every gymnast stuck her landing.  That makes a big difference in the scores.  Additionally, Florida has the #3, #5, and #17 ranked gymnasts on bars in the nation.  

Auburn has continued to improve each week on bars.  This week was no exception.  Allison Sandusky is currently the #22 ranked gymnast in the nation on bars, and Petrina Yokay is ranked #11 on bars in the SEC.  Bri Guy led off the rotation with a 9.825, Abby Habicht scored a 9.85 and Megan Walker a 9.875.  Nice solid scores, and more importantly, nice stuck landings.  The final three gymnasts for Auburn killed it on bars: Yokay scored a 9.9, and Sandusky and Shields each put up a 9.925.  At this point, the crowd was roaring for the girls after each routine, and the energy level was picking up.  Auburn posted a 49.475 - which, if you'll note, is higher than Florida's team bar score.

On vault, Florida scored 9.775, 9.85, 9.9, 9.925, and two scores of 9.95 for a team score of 49.575.  Stuck landings make a big difference here.

Auburn had a season high team score on beam last night. Yokay led off with a 9.825, Walker had a small bobble and earned a 9.8.  Habicht looked shaky in the beginning, and had a big balance check later in her routine that cost her a few tenths - she ended up with a 9.7.  Sandusky hit a strong routine next for a 9.875.  Bri Guy makes her incredible power work for her on beam - she posted a season and career high of 9.95. Kylie Shields fell twice, so her score was dropped.  Auburn's team score of 49.15 was a season high for the Tigers. 

On floor, Florida looked shaky, and allowed Auburn to make up some ground in the score.  Several of the Gators took steps on the landings of their tumbling passes, and a couple of girls stepped out of bounds, which is an automatic deduction.  Scores of 9.6, 9.75, 9.75, 9.8, 9.825 and 9.875 gave them a total team score of 49.050.

Heading into the final rotation, Auburn trailed by .325.  Remember, Florida's overall average score was over a point higher than Auburn's average team score coming in to this meet, so our Tigers were definitely holding their own against the #2 Gators.  

Florida had a solid beam rotation to seal their win.  Scores of 9.825, 3 scores of 9.875, and scores of 9.9 and 9.95 gave them a team score of 49.475. 

Though there were a few tumbling troubles, Auburn walked away with yet another season high score on floor.  Laura Lane kicked off the rotation with a 9.85, and Shields followed with at 9.7.  She had a little trouble on two of her tumbling passes, and there was a big scoring discrepency between the two judges scores.  Webster came out next with a 9.8, though her routine looked effortless.  Toi Garcia is one of the highlights of Auburn's floor rotation.  With floor music that includes "Tiger Walk" and a cheer of "War Eagle" from her teammates, she smiles her way through her routine and looks like she enjoys the heck out of it.  Her score was a 9.875.

Bri Guy is one of the new freshman that came in this year.  As you've read above, she's making an impact on every event.  Her shining moment always comes on floor.  Her tiny body is solid muscle, and she flies through the air.  Her opening tumbling pass, a double layout, is one of the hardest tumbling passes done in college gymnastics.  She is all power, and it shows all throughout her routine.  Like Garcia, she smiles her way through her entire routine, and you just smile along with her.  Last night she scored a 9.9, but a 10 is not that far off in her future.

Karen Kadous wrapped up the floor rotation with a 9.75.  She also had some trouble on one tumbling pass, landing a little short on one.  The floor score of 49.125 was a season high.

In the end, Florida tumbled away with the win, with an overall team score of 197.5.  Auburn's total team score of 196.875 was a new season high score for the Tigers.  

What's important to remember is the continuous improvement our Tigers are showing each week.  Auburn is starting to look ahead to the SEC Championship, and beyond that, the NCAA Regionals.  In the program history, Auburn has never earned a bid to the NCAA Regional meet.  The next few weeks will be critical for the Tigers.  They certainly have the talent and potential to make it.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Another day, another suggestion on how to preserve the SEC's historic rivalries. This idea is a little more complicated than the one proposed by Dawg Sports on Thursday, but it still works. Honestly, anything that ensures an Auburn-Georgia matchup every single year works for us.

Do you hate LSU because of its egregious use of Auburn's tiger head logo? Well, you probably aren't going to like the SEC's newest Tigers very much either.

Speaking of Missouri, you should know by now that those Tigers are Auburn's opening-weekend opponents on the diamond. Perhaps you might want a look at the series from the Mizzou side of things.

And speaking of baseball, our own contributor Kevin Ives has been churning out some fine content over at his home base, Plainsman Parking Lot. There's not a better source out there for Auburn baseball information.

The SEC's move to a 10-team baseball tournament is a head-scratcher to some. Although how anyone could predict Auburn to miss out on the tournament is the real head-scratcher.

Arnett Moultrie and Renardo Sidney, two of Mississippi State's biggest offensive threats, are dealing with injuries going into Saturday night's basketball game against the Tigers. Both seem to be expected to play.

It's official: Willie Martinez is Auburn's defensive backs coach. Bring on the laughs from the Dawg fans. As long as he produces the same results he did in his last stint working under Brian Van Gorder, this move is fine with us.

Van Gorder wants bigger linebackers on the Plains. One would think that bigger linebackers would always be better, but don't try to tell that to Ted Roof.

In case you live under a rock, Auburn finalized its 2012 football schedule on Thursday.

Once again, Auburn's swimming and diving teams had a fine showing during the morning session of the SEC Championships in Knoxville.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Former Auburn RB Brandon Jacobs began a two week cameo stint with IMPACT wrestling last night on Spike TV.  Jacobs will be featured on the program once again next Thursday at 8 cst.  The two segments he was involved in are available for viewing below.  

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Starting now, College and Magnolia will be providing a daily lunchtime roundup of all things Auburn from around the 'net. Enjoy!

New defensive coordinator Brian Van Gorder will be shaking up the defensive coaching staff's duties and looking for bigger linebackers. Regarding that first point, we say, "whatever works." As for the second point? Yes, please.

Is journalism in the state of Alabama tinted with crimson ink? Auburn journo professor John Carvalho explores the idea.

Believe it or not, a Georgia fan has come up with a great idea to solve the SEC's scheduling woes and keep historical rivalries in tact. We hate to give Georgia credit for anything, but we need to keep playing the Dawgs to keep that hate strong. Swap out Florida for Missouri as Auburn's third rival and it's a perfect plan.

Conference realignment was all about football, but with first pitch right around the corner, it should be remembered that the addition of Texas A&M and Missouri to the SEC will affect baseball, too. The Aggies are a solid addition to the conference's baseball roster. The Tigers? Not so much.

The Auburn swimming and diving teams stayed hot Thursday morning at Knoxville in the Day 2 prelims of the SEC Championships. Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace set the fastest U.S. time of the year in the 50-meter freestyle.

The Auburn men's tennis team is set to compete in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. The No. 16-ranked Tigers take a perfect 6-0 record into the Charlottesville, Va., event.

Former Auburn offensive coordinator and current Arkansas State head coach Gus Malzahn told Jim Dunaway on the Roundtable that the Red Wolves are still hoping to have Mike Dyer eligible to play next season and that ASU is looking to schedule a game at Auburn in two years. The podcast for the Thursday morning show can be found here.

Auburn golfer Dominic Bozzelli was named SEC men's golfer of the week on Wednesday. Bozzelli won the individual title at the Gator Invitational over the weekend.

With so many athletic events on the Plains this weekend, Auburn has advised that parking could become interesting. Here's a guide to parking for athletic events.

Evan Woodbery has a nice feature on Auburn point guard Josh Wallace. In case you didn't know, Wallace is at Auburn on an engineering scholarship, NOT an athletic scholarship. Of course, if you've watched any Auburn game on television over the past two seasons, you've certainly been made aware of that fact.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Day 1 in the pool went well for the Tigers. Could they match or improve upon that performance on Day 2?

Well, after Day 2's finals, the Auburn men have moved into first place ahead of Tennessee with 301 points (25 points ahead of UT), and the women moved to third place with 228.5 points, behind Georgia and Tennessee. 

The Tigers got off to a solid start in the prelims. The Women's 500m Freestyle was up first and Katie Gardocki qualified ninth with a time of 4.43:31, getting her into the consolation final tonight. Siena DeVanuto's time earned her second alternate. Both girls' times were season bests. The men were up next in the 500m Free and the Tigers' Zane Grothe, Chris Kramer, and Chris Parker finished 11th, 14th, and 17th respectively.

The Women's 200m Individual Medley saw seven Tigers swim in the event. Sarah Peterson qualified for the consolation final finishing 12th overall with a time of 2.00:23. The men had a total of 8 swimmers compete in the 200m IM, including the SEC's top seed in Kyle Owens. Owens swam the fifth-fastest time in the country so far this year en route to becoming the top qualifier for the final. He was joined in the final by teammate Allen Browning.

One if the highlights of the morning session was the Women's 50m Freestyle event where everyone wanted to see what Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace would do. She certainly didn't disappoint, posting a 21.46 in her prelim heat. Her time was the fastest in the nation this year! She was joined in the final by Hannah Riordan, who qualified seventh overall with a 22.24.

Then it was the men's turn to provide a little excitement. Five Auburn caps were spread across the pool in a single heat. Karl Krug (19.55), Chris Manning (19.57), Marcelo Chierighini (19.60), TJ Leon (19.76), and Max Murphy (20.36) were all in the same heat! In the finals, Five Auburn swimmers were chasing after the championship. Drew Modrov, Krug, Manning, James Disney-May, and Chierighini qualified 2-6 in the prelims.

Did Owens top his qualifying time and bring home the title? Just how low did Vanderpool-Wallace get her time? Auburn had a total of eight swimmers (six men and two women) competing in championship finals last night. Nine more Tigers (five men and four women) swam in consolation finals.

Check out the full results of the finals at AuburnTigers.com! 

Be sure to follow UTSports.com for live streaming of Day 3 or join Auburn's live blog of the finals at AuburnTigers.com.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

By Maggie McDaniel and Dusty Miller, College and Magnolia Staff 

Auburn's swimming and diving program is pretty good. We can all agree on that, can't we? The Auburn men have only won the last fifteen (15!) SEC championships in a row and sixteen of the last seventeen, and the women aren't too shabby either.

Auburn's swimming and diving program has won several national championships and placed enough athletes in the Olympics to be considered a country all on its own -- a small island country with a mutant breed of super swimmers! Cats aren't supposed to like water, but these Tigers love the pool! And as the great AU Aquatics t-shirts say, "There's nothing meaner than a wet cat."

The men and women are off to a fast start up in Knoxville. The men’s team is tied with Tennessee for first place and the women’s team is in second place behind the Vols after the first day of the 2012 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center at the University of Tennessee.

The first day of competition yielded three first-place finishes for the Tigers. Senior diver Vennie Dantin won the women's 1m board championship to start things off.

Dantin began the day by setting a pool record during the morning prelims with a score of 320.90. She followed that up by besting that score, setting new records for Auburn and Tennessee facilities with a score of 332.40. She led from wire to wire, never trailing at the end of any round during the prelims and the finals. Vennie vidi vici! Fellow diver Anna Aguero finished eighth in the 1m championships while Schuelein and Calabretta also scored points for Auburn.

The women’s 200m medley relay (Emily Bos, Lauren Norberg, Olivia Scott, and Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace) finished 2nd with an NCAA ‘A’ cut time of 1:36.47.  Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, who is arguably Auburn’s most exciting swimmer to watch, swam a 50-yard split of 20.80 seconds, which is the fastest 50-yard split by any female swimmer at any level.  Arianna looks to better her times in Day 2 in the 50- yard preliminaries and finals.  Vanderpool-Wallace is the current record holder in this event in the NCAA, and you wouldn’t be out of line to expect another record time from her on Thursday.

The 800m freestyle relay team (Katie Gardocki, Becca Jones, Megan Fonteno, and Olivia Scott) placed fourth to close out Day 1 for the women.

The men got the day started off on a positive note when the 200m medley relay (Kyle Owens, Stuart Ferguson, Marcelo Chierighini, and Karl Krug) beat Georgia in a convincing fashion, by nearly two seconds. It was the Tigers sixth win in the last seven years in the event. Over in the deeper end of the pool, John Santeiu and Fraser McKean placed fourth and eighth, respectively, in the men's 3m diving finals.

The men closed out the night in thrilling fashion. The 800m relay (Kyle Owens, James Disney-May, Allen Browning, and Zane Grothe) edged out Florida by 0.23 seconds to take the title for just the second time in the past twelve years. Grothe overtook the Florida anchor in the final five yards to secure the win for the Tigers.

Here are the complete standings after the end of Day 1:

WOMEN: Tennessee 118, Auburn 101, LSU 74, Georgia 72, South Carolina 67, Florida 66, Arkansas 59, Alabama 58, Vanderbilt 32, Kentucky 30. Expect Florida and Georgia to rise through the ranks in Day 2.

MEN: Auburn 106, Tennessee 106, LSU 73, Georgia 73, Kentucky 71, Florida 67, South Carolina 63, Alabama 24. Once again, expect Florida and Georgia to gain ground in Day 2.  It should also be noted that both teams for Tennessee had two divers place in the top 8, yielding deceitfully high scores; their ranks will fall as the swimming events unfold.

Day 2 began at 9 a.m. with the prelims. Follow @AuburnSwimming on Twitter to receive live updates of the meet.  Day 2 includes the 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, women’s 3-meter, and men’s 1-meter diving.  Live stats and streaming video can be found at UTSports.com, and a live blog will be running over at AuburnTigers.com.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

There is a ton happening on the plains this weekend.  Auburn is officially calling this the All In Weekend.  In order to give you all the details of all the events, this post will utilize bullets for events that feature multiple promotions.  Lots of our staff will be taking in many of this weekend’s events and we hope to see you all out as well.  War Eagle!

Friday, February 17th

Baseball vs. Missouri, Plainsman Park, 3:00 PM

It’s opening day at Plainsman Park! Come out and see your Auburn Tigers face off against future SEC rival Missouri.  The first 1,000 fans will receive schedule posters.

Softball vs. Oklahoma State, Jane B. Moore Field, 3:00 PM

The Tigers face tough completion as they battle Oklahoma State in their first game of the SEC/ACC/Big 12 Challenge. Admission is free.

Gymnastics vs. Florida, Auburn Arena, 7:00 PM

• Slinky giveaway courtesy of Goodwill
•  Auburn Gymnastics’ Alumni Night
• Short Person Appreciation Night - if you are shorter than the cut-out of one of the Auburn Gymnasts you will receive free admission to the meet.
• Auburn University Student Appreciation Night
• Kids Zone - Inflatable pop-a-shot, coloring sheets, mini-beam and more!
• Academy Sports VIP Tiger of the Meet - one lucky fan will be chosen to be the VIP Tiger of the Meet and receive two tickets and a chance to go on the floor and record their experience. Contac markets@auburn.edu to register, must be in 8th grade or younger.
• Auburn University Bookstore T-shirt Toss
• Handstand Contest
• Momma G’s Golden Ticket - four lucky fans will be selected during the meet to receive a seat upgrade and gift card to Momma G’s.
• Marco’s Pizza Scream
• Sprayberry Smile Cam
• Niffer’s Corn Nugget of the Meet

Saturday, February 18th

No.1 Equestrian vs. No. 2 Georgia, Auburn Horse Center, 1:00 PM

The top two teams in the country face off at the Auburn Horse Center on Saturday morning.  The first 300 fans at the meet will each get a free Auburn Equestrian koozie.

Baseball vs. Missouri, Plainsman Park, 3:00 PM

The second baseball game of the year at Plainsman Park sees our Tigers meet the Tigers of Missouri once again.

Softball vs. Oklahoma, Jane B. Moore Field, 3:00 PM

The Tigers face yet another school from Oklahoma.  On Saturday afternoon, they’ll look to knock off the Sooners.

Men's Basketball vs. Mississippi State, Auburn Arena, 7:00 PM

• Rally Towel Giveaway courtesy of AU Bookstore (First 1,500 fans)
• Pre-game fireworks courtesy of AU Bookstore
• Halftime performance by the Beale Street Flippers
• Kids Zone - Inflatable pop-a-shot, coloring sheets, airbrush face painter and more!
• Golden Flake Shootout for $5,000
• Academy Score for More
• Chick-fil-A Parachute Drop
• Texaco Fan Cam
• Kinnucan's T-shirt Toss
• Goodwill Little Tiger Slam Jam

Sunday, February 20th

Softball vs. Virginia Tech, Jane B. Moore Field, 11:00 AM

The final day of the weekend will start with Auburn playing Virginia Tech.  Come on out and let the concessions stand serve you brunch.

Baseball vs. Missouri, Plainsman Park, 1:00 PM

The rubber game of the first baseball series will be played at 1:00 PM.  Come enjoy the sun and finish off a three-day bender of delicious Plainsman Park hotdogs!  Following the game, the team will sign autographs so be sure to bring your poster from Friday night.

Softball vs. Georgia Tech, Jane B. Moore Field, 2:00 PM

The final event of the weekend will see Auburn face off against Georgia Tech.  These teams should be quite familiar with one another with Caitlin Jordan transferring from Georgia Tech to Auburn prior to this season.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Brian Van Gorder isn't the only former Georgia defensive coordinator on Auburn's staff. The Tigers have hired Willie Martinez as defensive backs coach. This hire should complete Gene Chizik's staff for the 2012 season. Willie Martinez will replace Phillip Lolley, who has moved into an administrative role with the football team after a couple of seasons of sub par secondary play.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Going into Tuesday night's home game against archrival Alabama, the Auburn men's basketball team had plenty of reasons to be confident that an upset of the Tide was not only possible, but that it would very likely be achieved. Yes, the Tigers entered the game with a less than stellar 3-6 record in SEC play, but three of those six losses were by fewer than 10 points, and in a 15-point loss against top-ranked Kentucky, the Tigers held a lead with 10 minutes remaining. Auburn had struggled to a 1-7 away from Auburn Arena during the 2011-12 season, but Tony Barbee's team was a stellar 12-1 at home, with the one loss coming against the Wildcats. Auburn had dropped its game prior to the contest against Alabama, but the Tigers' offense finally found its rhythm in a 91-88 loss at No. 22 Mississippi State. The Tigers' record didn't show it, but Auburn's recent improved play and excellent home record made an upset of Alabama appear to be a very realistic goal.

Welp, so much for that.

After a strong start, Auburn came up on the short end of a few questionable first-half calls and the Tigers never recovered. Barbee's team played its worst game of the season and ended up suffering an 18-point defeat, Auburn's worst home loss to the Crimson Tide ever. Considering the way the Tigers had been playing, Tuesday's blowout was a tough pill to swallow. Auburn had been doing a lot right going into the Bama game, but the Tigers couldn't do anything right against the Tide. These stats illustrate how poorly Auburn played:

• Nine assists, 19 turnovers -- Your offense probably isn't clicking if you only have nine assists in a game. Add in 19 TOs, and you've got yourself a disaster on your hands. Those 19 turnovers led to 24 points for Alabama, compared to just 12 points off turnovers for Auburn. 
• 26 free-throw attempts, 12 free-throws made -- This is the stat that has to be the most infuriating. It's unrealistic to expect a team to be perfect from the line in a game, but leaving 14 free points off the scoreboard is maddening. Frankly, there's no reason a team full of D-1 basketball players should have such trouble shooting foul shots.
• Nine bench points, six second-chance points, four fast-break points -- To win basketball games, a team really needs to create opportunities out of nowhere and get production from unexpected contributors. Auburn couldn't score in transition against Alabama. The Tigers couldn't get many offensive rebounds, and when they did, they rarely found a way to get the ball into the basket. No one off the Tigers' bench managed to make an impact on the game. Then again, no Auburn starter other than Frankie Sullivan had much of an impact, either.
• 18 points in the paint, compared to Alabama's 28 -- Aside from the atrocious free-throw shooting, this had to be the most frustrating part of the game. Auburn was abysmal around the basket all night, flying out of control to the basket and forcing up contested shots that never had a chance of going in. And after a strong defensive start, the Tigers wore down and allowed Bama to out-physical them and take over the game. To put it mildly, Auburn looked very soft against the Crimson Tide's big men.

So, now Auburn sits at 13-11 and 3-7 in conference play. With a win, the Tigers would have only been 4-6 in the SEC, but the confidence gained from beating Alabama at home would have given the Tigers a real shot at winning its remaining games at Auburn Arena and possibly pulling an upset or two on the road. Then, who know what could happen in the SEC Tournament. A possible NIT berth would not be all that far fetched. Instead, the Tigers' confidence has taken a major hit, and the possibility of three-to-four-win SEC campaign and an overall losing record is very real. If Barbee can't pull his team together and get it to play with the confidence and ability shown before the Alabama game, this season could go down the tubes in a hurry. If Auburn is going to get back into winning form, a few things need to happen:

• Kenny Gabriel has to make his mark on every game -- KG will be remembered for a long time by Auburn fans for his thunderous dunks, but he has disappeared from games too often during the SEC schedule. He had two blocks against Alabama, but only added eight points and three rebounds. Those numbers are a bit of a wash when you take into account his three turnovers. In the six SEC games in which Auburn has played well -- three wins and three losses by fewer than 10 points -- Gabriel is averaging 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.5 turnovers. In the four SEC games in which the Tigers have not played well -- losses by 10 points or more -- KG's numbers drop off to 7.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.8 turnovers per game. It's fairly obvious that the better Gabriel plays, the better Auburn plays. Barbee needs to find a way to keep the senior from vanishing during games. With six regular-season games remaining in Gabriel's Auburn career, let's hope that won't be too difficult a task.
• CD3 needs to stop hesitating and start knocking down 3s -- Early in the season, Chris Denson was a sharp-shooter from 3-point range. He would step up to the perimeter with confidence and knock down some big shots. Now, Denson hesitates at the 3-point line and often passes up open shots. Denson needs to do whatever it takes to regain the courage to shoot open 3-point attempts. CD3 being a consistent threat from behind the arc would be huge in terms of opening up Auburn's offense.
• Auburn ABSOLUTELY MUST do a better job of caring for the ball -- A big reason why Auburn's offense was able to put up 88 points and hang with Mississippi State was because the Tigers only turned the ball over three times against the Bulldogs. Now, expecting any team average three turnovers per game is ridiculous, but expecting Auburn to play smart basketball and not commit unforced errors shouldn't be. Scoring 88 against MSU was the exception, not the rule, and Auburn can't expect to win many high-scoring games. The Tigers need to slow the game down and keep the score as low as possible. With points at a premium, Auburn can't afford to waste opportunities on foolish giveaways.
• Sullivan and Varez Ward need to provide consistent scoring production -- When Frankie and V are hot, they are Auburn's most dangerous scorers and capable of putting up 20 points at any moment. When they're cold, Auburn has a hard time putting points on the board. Sullivan and Ward are the biggest offensive threats Auburn has, and they could both play well down the stretch, the Tigers would be a tough team for anyone to beat.

The six regular-season games remaining on Auburn's schedule -- at Ole Miss, vs. Mississippi State, at Florida, vs. Arkansas, at Alabama, vs. LSU -- will determine whether the Tigers take a step forward in Year 2 under Barbee or make little improvement despite a much-improved roster. After the three-point loss at Mississippi State on Feb. 4, the idea of Auburn winning its remaining home games and upsetting Ole Miss and, possibly, Alabama on the road wasn't absurd. Those results would have sent Auburn into the SEC tourney at 19-11 or 18-12 overall and 9-7 or 8-8 in SEC play and almost assured the Tigers a spot in the NIT. Now, it's hard to imagine Auburn winning any games on the road, and the three home contests could easily result in two or three losses. If those results come to fruition, Auburn will end the regular season at 14-16 or 13-17 overall and 4-11 or 3-12 in the SEC. A season like that would halt any momentum Barbee has built up for the program.

Auburn begins this final, all-important stretch Saturday night in Oxford against Ole Miss. Having beaten the Rebels once already, Barbee's players should believe without a doubt that they can do it again. If these Tigers can pick themselves up off the mat after a bloodying and the hands of Tide, expect to see a focused team that finds itself with an opportunity at victory as the clock winds down. If Auburn is mentally defeated after such an embarrassing loss, it won't be a surprise if the game against Ole Miss is out of hand by halftime. The tone for the remainder of the season will be set in Oxford. Can the Tigers can finish strong and show improvement at the end of Barbee's second year? We'll know the answer by the end of Saturday night.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »