Basketball thread

[chinook]

Nice win tonight for the Tigers. 71-69 over the Beavers.

Going to make Monday in the office fun.

[bottomfeeder]

Trick shot.  http://auburn.247sports.com/Board/42/Contents/Bruce-Pearl-trick-shot-from-the-top-of-Auburn-Arena-33081795

[War Eagle!!!]

** The non-conference match-ups against other Big 5 conferences are important. Scheduled these games to help the RPI. Auburn plays at Texas Tech Wednesday in the Big 12 challenge. "Historically for me, it mattered how our teams performed in those challenges."

** Pearl took this game without knowing the opponent because he wanted to be included in the challenge.

** Texas Tech has a young, but talented team. Tough backcourt players. "They're playing with a lot of confidence. Their one loss was at LSU in overtime."

** Antoine Mason practiced Sunday for the first time. Didn't have any additional swelling or soreness Monday morning. Not ready to play today but will practice. "He's still very questionable."

** Played 80 percent of season without Mason so far. Any time you get guys back changes chemistry, rotations.

** Mason's game based on explosiveness, power. "He needs to be closer to 90-100 percent to be effective."

** Malcolm Canada "played very well in Vegas."

** TJ Lang, who wasn't expected to be in the rotation, has improved with Mason out.

** Susceptible to foul trouble because of numbers.

** Likes how this team has demonstrated ability to bounce back from adversity. Really likes attitude and effort in practice, how they get along, push to get better. "My only frustration is thinking about this being KT's senior year and desperately wanting to make it better."

** Harrell put team on back against Oregon State.

** Bowers didn't have double-double against Oregon State, partly because they played a lot of zone. Expects to see zone against Texas Tech.

** Texas Tech guards do a great job driving and creating.

** It's a "great honor" going up against Tubby Smith. "I'm trying to do what Tubby did at Georgia and Kentucky."

** Huge game against Texas Tech for Auburn. Can be a big boost to RPI. "These are the games that put you in the tournament."

See...Pearl agrees with me...

[GH2001]

Everytime I read something Pearl has said, he just looks better and better to me. This guy gets it. So hands on. So charasmatic. He has the IT factor. Seriously one of the best hires in history.

[WiregrassTiger]

Everytime I read something Pearl has said, he just looks better and better to me. This guy gets it. So hands on. So charasmatic. He has the WT factor. Seriously one of the best hires in history.

[Buzz Killington]

Wu-Tang, bitches!

[chinook]

In case you missed Friday's loss to Coastal Carolina. 

Former Auburn coach Cliff Ellis, now at the helm of Coastal Carolina, returned to his old stomping grounds to a standing ovation, leaned down and kissed center court when he was announced right before tip-off.

And then Ellis stole one from Bruce Pearl and his old team.

Frustrated and trailing all night in the face of a tough Auburn defense, Coastal Carolina came roaring back with a second-half run and knocked off the Tigers 58-54 on Friday night.

"You know, right now, the last two days has been a lot, so I'm very tired, and very thankful," Ellis said. "I think it'll sink in how good this is a day or two from now."

Ellis' return came at the expense of an Auburn team that failed to finish off its second straight game and has dropped three of its last four.

This time, KT Harrell made sure the Tigers (3-4) got off to a good start, and at times carried the offense all alone on his shooting arm.

Harrell knocked down a career-high seven 3-pointers, missed just one from beyond the arc and poured in 25 points. His final 3-pointer gave the Tigers a 49-40 lead with 8:03 left.

"I'm confident in my abilities," Harrell said. "I've been in the gym so much on my own shooting that when I'm in the game, I don't think about it."

The way Auburn's defense was playing, the lead Harrell gave Auburn should have held. The Tigers limited Coastal Carolina (6-2) to just 34.4 percent shooting.

Even after the Chanticleers altered their defense to lock down Harrell following that final 3-pointer, Auburn had the kind of momentum going to win the game.

"We should have won the game," Pearl said. "What makes it a difficult loss is we had the game won."

The problem is inside. For the third straight game, center Cinmeon Bowers -- who came into the game averaging 13.3 points and 12.2 rebounds per game -- struggled, scoring just one point and pulling down five boards.

Without Bowers as a dominant inside presence, an undersized Auburn team pulled down just 22 defensive rebounds, and Coastal Carolina cleared 16 offensive boards, resulting in 15 second-chance points and negating all the 3-pointers Harrell hit.

Over the past three games, Bowers is averaging just five points and seven rebounds per game, rendering the Tigers almost exclusively as a perimeter team.

"If I had the answer for it, if he had the answer for it, we would have it fixed by now," Pearl said. "His preparation, his focus has got to change. ... We've got to figure out a way to unlock it. We're short-handed enough without him being so inconsistent."

For Ellis -- and a few members of Auburn's 1999 team -- though, the game represented a chance to close the loop, to show their support for a new regime at Auburn under Pearl.

Ellis is the last man to lead the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament.

Pearl is trying to become the next, and he has the former Auburn coach's full support.

"We've been kind of out of the picture for about 10 years," Ellis said. "We're here to help this thing get back. It's a healing, and we're going to do everything we can to help Bruce."

[Godfather]

GAMES

[Snaggletiger]

Anyone know how many games Auburn has played this year?

[Buzz Killington]

I don't know, maybe 7?

[Pell City Tiger]

Does the last one count? If so, then 7.

[jmar]

We suck but at least we have a bright future.

[WiregrassTiger]

I quit following basketball last year, after they fired Tommy Joe Eagles but I would definitely support them and even go to some games if they would go ahead and pull the trigger to get Bruce Pearl. It's time to get this program turned around. He would do it quickly.

[jmar]

I quit following basketball last year, after they fired Tommy Joe Eagles but I would definitely support them and even go to some games if they would go ahead and pull the trigger to get Bruce Pearl. It's time to get this program turned around. He would do it quickly.

We are back to running a four corners stall. Less shots, less points and frustrating as all hell to teams that traditionally have multiple scorers that average in double figures. We only act like we care about a shot clock. Defense wins championships. Ball control, run the clock and War Eagle!

[CCTAU]

We are back to running a four corners stall. Less shots, less points and frustrating as all hell to teams that traditionally have multiple scorers that average in double figures. We only act like we care about a shot clock. Defense wins championships. Ball control, run the clock and War Eagle!

Tuberville's coaching basketball now!

[Snaggletiger]

Tigers handled their business tonight by about 16.  Forget the score.  Loved the addition on Alex Thompson. 6'8" forward from right here in Dothan.  Played well. Trayvon Reed gave them some 7' presence and nice to have Mason back. 

Yeah, I was pissed a couple of games ago, not because they lost but because the style of play was no different from the last decade.  Stupid passes, stupid shots, idiotic turnovers etc.  You deserve to lose by 20.  I can see that filling out the roster, getting Mason back and getting Bowers some help inside with Thompson and Reed can make this team much more competitive.

Now, they have one more legit OOC test in Xavier this week.  If they beat them, then they could improve to 8-5 going into conference play, given the other OOC opponents before Vanderbilt to start the SEC slate. 

[jmar]

Be interesting to see if Pearl allows team to get caught up in a pace that Xavier had Alabama running.

[Godfather]

Tigers handled their business tonight by about 16.  Forget the score.  Loved the addition on Alex Thompson. 6'8" forward from right here in Dothan.  Played well. Trayvon Reed gave them some 7' presence and nice to have Mason back. 

Yeah, I was pissed a couple of games ago, not because they lost but because the style of play was no different from the last decade.  Stupid passes, stupid shots, idiotic turnovers etc.  You deserve to lose by 20.  I can see that filling out the roster, getting Mason back and getting Bowers some help inside with Thompson and Reed can make this team much more competitive.

Now, they have one more legit OOC test in Xavier this week.  If they beat them, then they could improve to 8-5 going into conference play, given the other OOC opponents before Vanderbilt to start the SEC slate.

Whatever dude, get your foot off the ship plank, The Orange Pearl is sailing on without you.

[Snaggletiger]

Whatever dude, get your foot off the ship plank, The Orange Pearl is sailing on without you.

NINE GAMES

[Godfather]

NINE GAMES