News of the day, 3/14
Hey everyone. I really enjoyed last night's episode of LOST, which I won't discuss here because some people apparently haven't yet seen it. I can say it deals with Sun and it added a big dose of intrigue at the end.Auburn football is off until a week from Tuesday. That means we'll have to spend the next 10 days rehashing the stuff we've seen so far. My plan is to break down the new coordinators in bullet form to give you all a better understanding of these guys, how they operate and how they roll on the field.
I may wait until next week to unfurl that flag as the kids say.
The Fighting Lebos lost for the 11th time in 13 games on Thursday afternoon. Vanderbilt toyed with them. I found it odd afterward how Jeff Lebo valiantly stuck with the "we're so small" argument. Whose fault is that?There also was some talk after the game about Auburn's candidacy in the inaugual College Basketball Invitational, which is a start-up postseason bracking aiming to cut into the NIT's action. Word has it that $60,000 buys eligible teams a home game in the tournament. Would Auburn do that? Absolutely. Will Auburn get that chance? How can it?
Let's break this down:
You're looking at 65 teams in the NCAAs.
The NIT, according to this bracket from the NIT's website, includes 32 teams. I'm really surprised by that. The last I'd heard, the field was being trimmed to 20 or 16 or something like that. Not so.
The CBI will include 16 teams.
So that means 113 teams will participate in the postseason shenanigans. Is Auburn in that discussion?
I looked at the standings for the meaningful (my decision) conferences and counted the number of teams that have winning records:
Atlantic 10 -- 10
Big East -- 10
Big 10 -- 6
Big 12 -- 9 + Virginia (15-15, 5-11)
CUSA -- 9
Missouri Valley -- 7
Mountain West -- 6
Pac-10 -- 8 + Washington (16-16, 7-12)
SEC -- 8
-----------------
That's 73 + the two break-even teams. So 75.
Is Auburn one of the next-best 38 teams? That's certainly feasible.
As ridiculous as it sounds, you know, Auburn could have a shot at this thing. If it's truly about money, as the Missouri athletic director said recently, the Tigers are a possibility.
Questions? Comments? You can email me at: jgtate@gannett.com
Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn University
posted by Jay G. Tate at
2:01 PM
29 Comments:
GREAT JOB ON THE POSTSEASON BREAKDOWN. I MAY BE THE ONLY ONE ON THIS BUT I WOULD LKE TO SEE AUBURN PLAY OTHER TEAMS WITH SIMILAR RECORDS AND A FRESH START. MAYBE THEY CAN GET IN.
^^^^Sorry about the CAPS ^^^
My worry would be that we pony up the $60,000 and lose the 1st time out. that would be an expensive experiment. music tip: bell x 1; irish group.
I don't think 60k is going to affect Auburn's bottom line.
i feel like we're playing Tee-ball... Everybody gets a trophy no matter how much they suck
I want to start a new radio show, called "Highlights". It will last 30 minutes and will be all you need to know about what happened during 12 hours of non-stop sports radio that day. It will be like sports center. I think it might work.
I mean think about it ... a sports radio show designed to do nothing but talk about other sports radio shows. It's pure genius.
I agree, ron.
This is ridiculous. Auburn is not a good team at all.
exactly. why prolong the agony.
Talking about other shows' content, phred, already is being done in Montgomery ... MSP in the morning!
WOW ... wow WOW ... I guess I served that one up to you. Does this make me an accomplice?
Also, and not wanting to seem as a shrew or a nag, $60k (and let's not forget trans. and hotel costs) may not seem like much compared to the overall ath. budget, but it would cover the salary and benefits of a full time cop or an adjunct professor or a scholarship. i'm a (very) small business guy and $60K is a bit of money to me. to waste it on a game that could be replaced by a pick-up game in montgomery would be, well, just a waste. i just tend to hate waste.
3 topics
1. THE $60,000
If AU paid the 60k to host, would they also be on the line for paying the travel expenses of the other team.
(I know some leagues work that way in the postseason, like our defunct arena football league)
Also, we'd obviously have to pay to run the glorious B-E Coliseum; electricity, staff, etc.
So the costs, I assume, are well over 60k -- with probably little to nothing coming back in through gate receipts.
(They'd probably hand out tickets just to get people in the gym)
Are you saying the AU AD is willing to eat 70-100k just to play another game(s)?
I wouldn't be.
2. SPRING GAME
What are the details for the Spring A-Day game?
Date, time, ticket cost/availability?
3. LOST TALKBACK
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
It's been 2 days, so here goes.
Do you think Jin really dies?
My assumptions
A. He never left the island; he sacrificed to get her off and is still alive. The tombstone is part of the ruse, as it has the crash date.
B. He died getting her off the island. Again, the date is part of the ruse.
Either way, I doubt he ever made it off the island as part of the 6. If he had, the date wouldn't be the date of the crash. So, one more is left to be revealed.
Guys, do the wife and kids get as much time as the blog does? Do you put as much thought into what you will do differently today to make them feel how much they mean to you?
Just something real to think about.
I'm so glad to have Dr. Phil join the Hotties. Welcome.
Phred, I doubt a check is cut for your services here. Are you entertained?
Funny thing, the one person I intended the comments for responds to the post.
What about this situation in Atlanta?
I can tell you as a UK alumnus that there are a LOT of incredibly angry UK fans right now. The SEC semifinals have been moved to Ga. Tech and NO FANS will be allowed to watch the games.
Holy cow.
No fans? That's crazy. What in the world.
Anonymous ... on second thought, nevermind.
Jay G, I haven't gotten my check yet.
Since the Kentucky fans weren't allowed to be there, at least they didn't go away disappointed. Tough loss. does uk make the ncaa?
I'm still shocked over that shady non-call at the end of overtime.
Evan Woodbery of the Mobile Register and, I've been told, Charles Goldberg of the Birmingham newspaper believe the officials were correct to avoid a foul call.
I think both scribes need glasses.
Check's in the mail...
The Tornado Game was great. Mark Gottfried will remain. I'm happy for him. MSU looked really raw and really athletic in that game. They're the kind of team that has the potential to be dancing late at the prom but may be missing another key shooter or three.
What a completely weird tournament.
I can't decide which is more bizaree, a tornado causing a stoppage of play in basketball, or a Georgia vs. Arkansas championship game.
Even with only allowing family, chearleaders, and pep bands in to GT's gym, the SEC basketball championship will probably have a larger attendance than the last ACC football championship
"Whose fault is that?" Seriously??
Tell me Jay, whose fault is it that Josh Dollard had to take a medical redshirt this season? Whose fault is it that 7-footer Boubacar Sylla broke his foot? Whose fault is it that Vot Barber broke his hand?
Are all those injuries to AU's big men Lebo's fault? Who's the blame? Heck, at best those are God's fault. You might as well be asking "why does God hate AU basketball?"
That 'hottest blog' claim is looking pretty dubious right now
It's all Lebo's fault. All of it. Everything bad that has happened. That tornado? That was Lebo's fault too. Global warming is Lebo's fault. Hell, Al Gore is Lebo's fault for that matter. If Chris Todd can't rehab his arm, I'm going to blame Lebo for that. Just the name Lebo lends itself to blame. I mean, who wouldn't blame a guy named Lebo? Ronald Steele getting hurt at Alabama is Lebo's fault. Mark Gotfired is Lebo's fault. EVERYTHING IS LEBO'S FAULT.
I thought we all had been through this already.
Can Lebo recruit? Can he???
THAT'S THE QUESTION!
frankie sullivan says he can
Well, in my opinion (don't say it, I already know) so far the answer has been no ... not really.
We'll see how well a 5'11 point guard does. He might be fantastic. He might be overwhelmed.
But, by the end of Feb '09, we will know for sure.
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