Although the 2011-12 men's basketball season is two months away, last week's release of the schedule is creating buzz among fans.
"You have to build your schedule to where you think your team or program is in its building stage," said second-year coach Tony Barbee. "Obviously last year, we had some contests against some higher-quality teams, but not an abundance of them. This year, I think you'll see the natural progression of the team which leads to the natural progression of the schedule."
The Tigers are returning four of five starters from last season, including Rob Chubb and Kenny Gabriel.
Because of tournament play, Auburn has the chance to face 19 teams that went to a postseason tournament last year. Nine of those teams went to the NCAA Tournament, and 10 went to the National Invitation Tournament.
"We have a renewed series with Florida State that we start down there," Barbee said. "They are a team that should have been in last year's Final Four, a team that was a Sweet 16 team and has a lot of talented players coming back."
The Tigers will play seven of those 19 teams at home, including McNeese State, Bethune-Cookman, Georgia and Ole Miss.
Auburn opens the season Nov. 11 against McNeese State. After three home non-conference games, the Tigers travel to Newark, N.J., to compete in the SEC-Big East Challenge.
Auburn next plays South Florida, North Florida and Florida A&M, and then will make a trip to Hawaii for the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.
"I'm excited about the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii with an outstanding field of multiple NCAA-Tournament teams in the field with Clemson, Xavier and Kansas State," Barbee said. "You are talking multiple NCAA-Tournament teams, which is something we aspire to be.
"To get there, you have to play teams like that so you know where you stand and hopefully come out on top in more than your fair share of them."
At the turn of the calendar year, Auburn completes its last few nonconference games by traveling to Tallahassee to face Florida State, whom the Tigers beat last year at home.
Auburn opens SEC play on the road against Vanderbilt before welcoming Kentucky on Jan. 11 for its first SEC home game.
"Kentucky will sell out," said Bryan Elmore, assistant director of budget services. "Those tickets that aren't bought by Auburn fans will be bought by Kentucky fans. They usually travel well regardless of where they play."
The SEC basketball schedule rotates from year to year. The Tigers play each team in the East once a year with the venue alternating each year.
This year, in addition to Kentucky, Auburn will host South Carolina Jan. 21 and Georgia Feb. 1.
Georgia and Kentucky are the only two teams Auburn will play at home that made the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
Auburn plays each team in the West twice a year, once at home and once on the road.
In 2010, the Tigers' record showed the difference between road and home games.
"As is the case with any basketball game I've ever been to--especially with a home environment--a team always feeds off the energy with the crowd," Elmore said. "They build momentum based on the crowd's reaction."
Auburn reinforced that logic last year when it lost to both Ole Miss and Mississippi State on the road, but beat both opponents at home.
Joy Waldrop, sophomore in pre-verterinary medicine, said she's most excited about the Mississippi State game.
"I'm excited about the Mississippi State game this year because last year it was an exciting comeback that no one expected," Waldrop said.
Auburn hosts rival Alabama Feb. 7 in a game that always has more meaning than only basketball. Each year, the ODK-Foy Sportsmanship trophy is presented to the winner of the Iron Bowl at halftime.
It was one of Auburn's few sellouts last year.
Unless Auburn reaches a postseason tournament, the season will end with a March 8 trip to New Orleans to play in the SEC Tournament.
Despite Auburn finishing fifth in the SEC West last year, Barbee has continued to show positive energy toward getting the Tigers back to the top of the division.
"If Auburn people stay committed to letting coach Barbee and his staff work through these first couple of difficult years, we'll be fine," Elmore said.
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