Best of the teleconferences, 2/26

THURSDAY MID-DAY
Post No. 1,076

Hey everyone. Nell Fortner and Jeff Lebo just held their teleconferences. I scribbled down a few highlights you may enjoy.

JEFF LEBO

• Team is 18-10 overall and 7-6 in the SEC
  
• Tied with Mississippi State for 2nd in the West
  
• Auburn plays at Mississippi State on Saturday night
  
• Auburn beat Mississippi State by 15 points last week
  
• Saturday's game will be televised on FSN
  
  
• On the team surging of late: "It's nice to be able to play meaningful games at this time of year. They have put themselves in position to do that. I've talked to them about not looking three, four, five games down the road. The only thing you can control is what's up next. You're almost into March. It's exciting for our kids who haven't been in this position before."
  
  
• On rebounding problems: "When the ball goes up, I can't make their arms longer. I can't make them wider. We have to be junkyard dogs."
  
  
• On MSU: "We see ourselves. We can matchup with them better than the other teams that are a little bigger. We're mirror images. The difference is that they shoot the ball more from 3. They're averaging 31 or 32 (three-point attempts) over the last five games. Almost half of their shots come from the three point line. They've committed to playing small. When they put them all in there together, that makes it a hard thing to defend."
  
  
• On why Auburn has been better since the 2-5 league start: ``We've been down in a lot of games. Our kids come back and continue to battle. That's probably maturity. The big key for us is that Tay Waller, at least since the Ole Miss game there, has been offensively a difference-maker out there."

NELL FORTNER

• Team is 26-2 overall and 11-2 in the SEC
  
• Team already has clinched a share of the SEC title
  
• A home win against Arkansas on Sunday (2 p.m.) wins the title outright
  
• Auburn won by nine points at Arkansas in January
  
  
• On F DeWanna Bonner coming out of high school: "She was already talented. She just needed to add more to the game. She was a layup shooter. She added that mid-range jumper. She added a three-point shot. She added so much to her game. That's what happens in college. She takes a lot of pride in her game."
  
  
• On recruiting PG Whitney Boddie in 2004: "It was lucky for us. She wasn't playing summer ball. She was under the radar. We hit the ground running as soon as we got here. We were just fortunate that it was that kind of year in the Alabama high schools."
  
  
• On F Chantel Hilliard, who was injured last weekend: "She should be ready to play."
  
  
• On Auburn dropping to No. 7 in the AP poll after losing at Vanderbilt last weekend: "Auburn is the new kid on the block. We're not going to get as much respect or benefit of the doubt. We're building that. You keep building your reputation. I understand it. I don't have a problem with it. We just have to keep winning ballgames."
  
  

Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn University

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