Auburn Sports Update (5)

We see the Tigers lose lose at Tennessee 64 to 49 on ESPN2. The Tigers trailed by 14 at the half and could only cut the margin to 9 in the second half. This struggles so to score points. It won't get any better without some new players.

Auburn Sports Update (4)

I see online that we lose at Arkansas 56 to 53. Kenny Gabriel had a chance at the buzzer to tie with a 3 but he misses the shot. Still it must have been a heroic effort at Bud Walton Arena.

Auburn Sports Update (3)

The word comes tonight that our new OC is Scot Loeffler, who last season was Temple's offensive coordinator. He is supposed to be a good developer of quarterbacks. We were led to believe that the position would be filled by an NFL type, but it didn't happen that way. Only time will tell if this is a good choice.

Auburn Sports Update (2)

The basketball team beats South Carolina 63 to 52. This is a home game that we had to win against a struggling Gamecock team that has yet to win a conference game. The Tigers hit their free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory. This team has to gut out every win.

Auburn Sports Update

After heroically tying the game at the buzzer in LSU last night with a 3 pointer, our Tigers lose in overtime by 5 after commiting 4 straight turnovers.

We see that an All-American fullback is transferring to Auburn from Illinois. We certainly need a traditional fullback.

I'm glad recruiting is winding down. It's giving me a headache.

Auburn coach Tony Barbee formally signs contract thru 2017

BY Evan Woodbery
9 January 2012

AUBURN, Alabama -- Head basketball coach Tony Barbee, who has worked without an official employment contract for nearly two years since being hired at Auburn, has formally agreed to a deal that pays him $1.5 million annually through 2017.

Barbee had been working under a "letter of agreement" since being hired to replace Jeff Lebo after the 2010 season.

Auburn released the formal employment contract Monday night, shortly before the BCS national championship game. The contract was signed Dec. 7, 2011.

"I'm glad it's signed, but the contract was a bigger deal for everybody else (except) Auburn and me," Barbee said. "I was very comfortable with the letter of agreement we were working under. It's part of negotiations; things don't always go as quickly as you want them to go."

Barbee said he feels no differently after signing the contract.

"Auburn had committed to me; I had committed to them," he said. "Whether I had a signed contract or not, it was not a big deal. Everybody else was making a big deal out of it, I don't know. I'm focused on coaching this team and running this program."

In addition the $1.5 million annual compensation, Barbee can earn up to $600,000 in additional bonuses and incentives tied to on-court success and his team's academic achievement.

The contract includes a mutual buyout clause. If Barbee were fired, he would be owed $750,000 for each year remaining on the contract. If Barbee left for another school, he would owe $1 million overall. That sum decreases by $250,000 each year.

Auburn paid off a $233,000 buyout from Barbee's contract when he was hired. If Barbee remains through 2016, that debt will be forgiven.

Barbee is 21-25 in his second season at Auburn and 103-77 as a head coach overall.

Chizik Hires a DC

I figured it would somebody I've never heard of. He sounds good. NFL coaching is better than college coaching. This is a big plus. We hope he's a good recruiter. It has to get recruits's attemnion that this guy comes from the NFL.

Auburn Basketball Gets Worse

The one thing we could reasonably expect this year with Auburn basketball is that the team would be better than last year. We have some new players, and there was no reason to think this team wouldn't improve. So far we have to be very disappointed. Today the Tigers lose at Vanderbilt 65 to 35. This is the fewest number of points Auburn has scored in 60 years. This is ridiculous.

Now

Now, after the win over Virginia, there will be optimism in Auburnland. It kind of makes me nervous. We can so easily be disappointed if things don't progress from here as many will expect.