Auburn Tigers Tickets

Auburn Tigers Mens Basketball

It's pretty much a clean slate at Auburn. After finishing 14-14 overall, 5-11 in conference, and missing out on postseason play, the program let go of coach Cliff Ellis. Ellis had been the Tigers' coach for the previous 10 years, but up-and-down performances and recruiting violations brought an end to his tenure. Not only is there a new coach, but a crew of new players as well. Most of Auburn's players left the school to pursue a school that would not be hamstrung by violations.

Lebo has his work cut out for him, but he has a history of rebuilding programs. He rebuilt Tennessee-Chattanooga, and got Tennessee Tech into the postseason as well before that. His first year of Auburn won't be easy, but he'll have the advantage of getting the young players some key experience. Because of a lack of size, Auburn is going to have to win a lot of games by virtue of the three-pointer. Freshman Toney Douglas is going to be a player to watch, as he can score from inside and out, while seniors Ian Young and Quinnell Brown can also be deadly from long range. When 6-foot-11-inch center Ryan Daniel develops, Auburn can start to use and inside-outside game to take the pressure off the guards.

A postseason berth will be a tall order for Auburn this year, especially given the strength of the SEC. However, given Lebo's ability to coach, and Douglas' ability to score, keep an eye on the Tigers in the next year or two.