Some basketball chatter

Hey everyone. Since our earlier thread turned into T.M.I. Fest, I have decided to open this thread to discuss the upcoming Auburn-Alabama men's game.

That game will be contested Tuesday night at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

The Head Coach and The Freshman Guard spoke with the HABOTN earlier today about the upcoming showdown.

GUARD FRANKIE SULLIVAN
•On the team's dramatic mid-season improvement: "It's all mental. We had the talent. We just needed to learn to play together and be tough in games. Falling behind doesn't mean you have to lose."

•On shooting guard Tay Waller: "There's a lot to learn from him, but probably not his shot. He has a very awkward shot. It's almost like he's shooting sideways. I try to shoot like a gun. He's fearless out there. You can learn a lot from his confidence and the way he forgets mistakes so quickly."

•On why the team has gotten so hot since a 19-point loss at Ole Miss: "We saw that you can't take anything for granted. You've gotta play for your life every single day. We got a lot tougher mentally after that. I think it taught us a lesson that we carried into practice and games."


COACH JEFF LEBO
•On why the team sucked at Ole Miss: "I share in some of that responsibility. We made changes in the way we play. I said so. That was the first game where we played really poorly. I was disappointed in our physical and mental toughness. We addressed it a little bit and talked about it."

•On how important reserve center Brendan Knox has become: "(Korvotney) Barber is more productive when he's playing 30 minutes per game. We like to keep him fresh. We may play him and Knox together against the bigger teams like Alabama."


Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn University

Questions? Comments? Post directly to the blog below or email me at jgtate@gannett.com.