Barbee making strides

It wasn't exactly the start to the Tony Barbee era we all had in mind.

Eleven-and-20 with a 4-12 conference record, the 2010-11 Auburn basketball team had losses to Columbus State, UNC Asheville, Samford, Campbell, Jacksonville and Presbyterian College.

This year, however, Auburn has shown that coach Barbee is taking us in the right direction.

Auburn has been playing as a true team this year. Every player has their role, and they have each performed it this year.

Senior forward Kenny Gabriel has stepped up this year in terms of play and leadership.

The fan favorite is the second-leading scorer, team leader in rebounds and blocks and has provided fans with a lot of highlights during the course of the season.

Juniors Frankie Sullivan, Rob Chubb and Josh Wallace have played well in tough spots this year.

Sullivan is the leading scorer on the team while still recovering from knee surgery, and Chubb and Wallace have improved with every game.

The real problems for Auburn basketball have all come on the road. The Tigers are 13-3 at home, 0-9 on the road and 1-2 at neutral sites.

But don't let the winless road record fool you. Auburn has been close in almost every road game--within one possession toward the end of four of those nine losses.

This isn't a team that is getting blown out in every loss. We went toe-to-toe against UTEP, No. 1 Kentucky and Arkansas.

Re-play a few possessions near the end of the game, and we're looking at an NCAA Tournament team with only five or six losses.

The most encouraging sign of this year is the home record. Auburn has played great at home, and it is a result of the increasing support for Auburn basketball.

The student section has been sold out for every home game this season. Students are waiting in line an hour or two before tip-off to watch our team play.

The fact that we have close to the whole team returning is encouraging for next season. Auburn basketball should continue to improve in Barbee's third year.