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[AUChizad]

Kennedy: Auburn basketball lags other SEC programs
By Randy Kennedy
March 14, 2010, 5:32AM

Just in time for Auburn's search for a new basketball coach to replace Jeff Lebo, NBC has a new hit show with a title that might be helpful in the process. The show is called, "Who Do You Think You Are?"
 
One of the themes of the show is that you can't know where you're headed without knowing where you've been. Where the Auburn basketball program has been throughout its history is buried in obscurity and literally hidden in the shadow of Jordan-Hare Stadium and a football program that always has and always will be the focus of attention on campus and with almost all Auburn fans.
 
Bringing down the curtain on Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum -- the one that covered seats that were too ambitiously intended for basketball fans -- and building the new Auburn Arena was a great step in improving the standing of Auburn basketball.There's no doubt that Lebo's successor will inherit a program with a better chance of competing in the SEC than what Lebo has had to contend with in his six-year tenure.
 
Randy Kennedy Column Head (new)

But even with a sparkling new home, is Auburn basketball a good job? In a league where fans at 11 out of 12 schools will always value a strong secondary more than a good secondary break, Auburn still lags behind other SEC teams when it comes to basketball.
 
In fact, it's hard to make an argument that the Auburn basketball job is better than any of the other 11 jobs in the SEC. Based on opportunity to win, university support, fan support, recruiting opportunity and all the other factors that go into grading a job, here is one crack at the 12 SEC basketball jobs in order of attractiveness.
 
1. Kentucky. In a class by itself and the only school in the SEC that cares more about basketball than football.
 
2-4. Arkansas, Tennessee and Florida. Fans care deeply about basketball at all three, with Arkansas and Florida having national championships in their history.
 
5-8. South Carolina, Alabama, LSU and Vanderbilt. South Carolina has one of the best arenas in the league, the school takes the sport seriously and the region is basketball crazy. The other three have had great runs in the past and have shown a desire to be competitive in basketball.
 
9-12. Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia and Auburn. Now that Auburn Arena has been constructed, one of these other schools can take the title of having the least attractive place to watch a game.
 
The good news for Auburn basketball as it embarks on a new era is that this list of best and worst jobs is very different than a list of the best teams currently in the league. Andy Kennedy has Ole Miss squarely on the NCAA bubble today, and poised to compete for league titles in the future, while Rick Stansbury has figured out a way to consistently win at Mississippi State.
 
So there is reason to believe that the next six years for Auburn basketball can produce better results than the 96-93 overall record and 35-61 SEC mark during Lebo's run. All it takes is to get the right coach in place and let him recruit better than Auburn ever has. That may sound like a tough task, but with Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum, set for demolition soon, it will be easier for Lebo's successor.than it was for him. 

What a fuckin joke...

[Pell City Tiger]

I would love to see a comparison of overall records over the last 6 years between Auburn and bama. I doubt there's too much difference in the two. I do know Lebo completely owned the mullets during his tenure. Funny that Kennedy left that out of his article.