The Lady Tigers were selected for the WNIT. The new Arena will also play host to the first round of the Women's NCAA
Auburn’s players and coaches had to wait nearly two weeks to learn their postseason fate after a first-round loss to Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament on March 3.
Their answer came late Monday night. And in the form of a team they haven’t played in 21 years.
The Tigers (15-15) open the Women’s NIT with a trip to Cookeville, Tenn., to take on Tennessee Tech (23-7) on Thursday night, at a time that has yet to be determined.
“It’s definitely good to finally know,” Tigers coach Nell Fortner said. “It’s kind of nerve-wracking to wait.”
So Fortner knows the where and when. Now she’s just got to figure out the who.
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Barbee talks the future
Listening to Tony Barbee talk about his team after its 69-51 loss to Georgia in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday, you wouldn’t think the Tigers had just wrapped up an 11-20 campaign with a lackluster 18-point loss.
That’s because, while wins are nice, Barbee knew they couldn’t necessarily give the most complete picture of the success of his first season coaching Auburn.
For that, he’d have to look at the three double-digit comeback wins in conference play. Or the fact the Tigers somehow found their way out of the conference basement after losing their first six SEC games and not looking especially promising in them.
Or the disappointment on his players’ faces when they couldn’t pull out one more comeback against Georgia.
Auburn, to the surprise of many, was rarely a pushover in Barbee’s first year.
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Denson provided the only bright spot for the Tigers in their opening round loss to the Bulldogs
ATLANTA – Tony Barbee saw men playing against boys in the first round of the SEC Tournament at the Georgia Dome on Thursday.
That’s never a good thing when you’re coaching the “boys” side.
“We played against some men today,” Barbee said. “And I had some boys out on the floor, physically.”
Georgia employed its size, strength and physicality to control the game from nearly the opening tip, advancing and ending Auburn’s season with a 69-51 win.
The Bulldogs (21-10) outrebounded the Tigers (11-20), 39-27, with 18 of those boards coming on the offensive glass and leading to 19 second-chance points.
Travis Leslie, a 6-foot-4 guard, outleaped Auburn for seven offensive boards out of his 10 for the game. Trey Thompkins, a 6-10 forward, outmuscled the Tigers for 10 rebounds as well, most of them coming on the defensive glass.
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Tigers peeking at the right time? Lets hope so!
Auburn’s players know the drill if they miss a layup, break down on defense, don’t box out, commit a turnover, force a shot or mess up in most any way during the course of play.
Check out and have a seat on the bench.
Coach Barbee would like a word with you.
“If I make a mistake and I see somebody coming to get me, I know why I’m coming out of the game,” forward Kenny Gabriel said. “It’s not a mystery.”
Tony Barbee has used a fiery disposition, a hard-nosed approach to the game — and yes, a quick hook — to whip his exceedingly green Tigers team into shape just in time for the SEC Tournament.
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