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Observations from No. 22 Auburn’s 76-64 loss at Georgia Published: Jan. 04, 2023, 9:20 p.m. 4–5 minutes By Nubyjas Wilborn | nwilborn@al.com Johni Broome’s 22 points and 12 rebounds weren’t enough to keep No. 22 Auburn from losing 76-64 in Wednesday’s rivalry game against Georgia on the road. Broome scored the first seven points for the Tigers after the Bulldogs jumped to a 5-0 lead. K.D. Johnson hit a three with 15:20 left in the first half for the first points by a Tiger other than Broome. Auburn trailed by one point after Johnson briefly silenced the fans from his former school. Georgia pushed its lead back out to 11 with a Kario Oquendo layup at the 10:08 mark. Qquendo finished the game with 17 points. Wendell Green tied the game with one of his two buckets with a little over six minutes in the first half. Terry Roberts scored two of his 26 points to regain the lead. Allen Flanigan gave Auburn its only lead with 4:12 left in the half on a jumper off a rebound. Roberts struck again 14 seconds later with a layup. Georgia regained the lead on the bucket by Roberts and never trailed again. Roberts finished the half with another driving bucket, and the Tigers went into the locker room down 37-30. During halftime, the officials deducted a point from UGA after ruling that the Bulldogs had improperly got a free throw because of an incorrect count of Auburn team fouls. “Didn’t get off to a very good start, which you have to on the road in order to win, and they did, which gave them some confidence,” head coach Bruce Pearl said after the loss. Auburn will host No. 13 Arkansas on Saturday at Neville Arena. Let’s get into some takeaways from the Tigers’ loss at Stegeman Coliseum. -- Broome shot 9-17 and 2-5 from three. Flanigan was 5-10 for 11 points. Other than Flanigan and Broome, the rest of the Tigers shot 10-52 from the field and 2-21 from three. -- Roberts and Oquendo combined for 43 points, and Auburn’s starting guards had 12 points. Green with five and Jasper with seven. “Our guards have been having a hard time staying in front of people,” Pearl said on the guard matchup. “You can go under, build a wall a little bit, and maybe you do that against teams that struggle to shoot the ball and let them shoot behind. That could be something we go to. It’s nothing something that I’ve done before very often. But keeping guards in front of us has become an issue. And our bigs do a pretty good job of helping them. But getting the guards back in front and competing to stay in front is an issue.” -- Auburn (11-3, 1-1 SEC) got outscored 36 to 28 in the paint, mainly by the Bulldogs attacking the rim and scoring on layups or dunks. “Layups. Just driving at us. Just driving at us,’ Pearl said. “We couldn’t stay in front. Wasn’t their post-up game, they didn’t score at all in the post-up, and that’s what they’re really good at; Bridges is really good at. Just drove us downhill.” -- Pearl expressed displeasure with Jaylin Williams going 1-9 and 1-5 from three for five points. “We needed to win more one-on-one battles,” Pearl said. “Jaylin Williams needed to win his matchup. We can’t win if Jaylin Williams goes 1-for-9. We just can’t.” Flanigan’s 11 points provided a bright spot for Auburn. Pearl appreciated his efforts. “It was good to see Al,” Pearl said. “Al didn’t play great against Florida and really worked hard, all week long, just coming in and grinding and just having a really good attitude and doing the best he could — instead of just being frustrated.” If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

Guard play troubles the Tigers in loss to Georgia - The Auburn Plainsman 4–5 minutes Bruce Pearl’s Tigers are quite familiar with the state of Georgia. Five of the six current NBA players from Pearl’s program are from Georgia, which doesn’t even include stars like Jared Harper and Bryce Brown. Five current Tigers are from the state and Auburn was 8-2 in their last 10 matchups against the Bulldogs entering tonight’s ballgame. All that success in the neighboring state came to a pause tonight, with No. 22 Auburn falling to Georgia 76-64 inside of Stegeman Coliseum. The Tigers fall to 1-1 in conference play and 11-3 overall, losing just their second time in their last six trips to Athens. “We've got to fix a lot of things but everything is fixable," said forward Johni Broome. "So, let’s get back to it and get ready for the next one." Despite coming out of the game early in the first half with an injury, Broome had his third double-double of the season for the Tigers with a team-highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds. Auburn’s other two big men, Jaylin Williams and Dylan Cardwell, shot a combined 1-11 from the field and Georgia led 34-26 in points in the paint. “Dylan did a good job defensively but we needed to win more one on one battles,” said head coach Bruce Pearl. “Jaylin Williams needed to win his matchup. We can’t win if Jaylin Williams goes 1-for-9. We just can’t.” Auburn’s struggle to contain talented guards continued with Bulldog Terry Roberts leading the way with a season- and career-high 26 points in 30 minutes of play for Georgia. Kario Oquendo was the only other Bulldog in double figures with 17 points and four rebounds. “The guards are really good. I think that Roberts makes a huge difference for them,” Pearl said. “Our challenge has been when we have gone up against really good guards, elite guards; Memphis, USC, and I do think that Oquendo and Roberts are. I put them in the category.” Outside of Williams’ big night in Athens, the rest of the Tigers shot a combined 15-52 from the field. Auburn’s three guards, Wendell Green Jr., K.D. Johnson and Zep Jasper combined for 15 points and went 2-for-10 from the 3-point shot. “We do the best we can in ball screen coverage to try to help the guards get through. Our guards are having a hard time staying in front of people,” Pearl said. Allen Flanigan bounced back after a disappointing performance against Florida to start conference play by being the only other Tiger to score in double figures in Athens, with 11 points and three rebounds. This was Flanigan’s first double-figure performance since the Colgate game on Dec. 2. “Allen didn’t play great against Florida and really worked hard all week long, just coming in and grinding and just having a really good attitude and doing the best he could instead of just being frustrated," Pearl said. "I can see Allen working really hard, doing the right things and doing the little things and it translated pretty quickly. So, maybe that’s something we can build on." Auburn will travel back home to take on the No. 13 Arkansas Razorbacks this Saturday inside of Neville Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST and will be televised on the SEC Network. Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman. Share and discuss “Guard play troubles the Tigers in loss to Georgia” on social media.

Instant Analysis: Auburn suffers first SEC loss on the road at Georgia Taylor Jones 2–3 minutes The first road game of the SEC schedule for Auburn was filled with poor shooting to go along with a solid shooting night for their opponent. Georgia outshot Auburn 45% to 35% and spent much more time at the free throw line than the Tigers in their 76-64 win at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens on Wednesday. Buy Tigers Tickets Wednesday’s win over No. 20 Auburn is the first for Georgia in the Mike White era, who continues his success after going 142-88 in seven seasons at Florida. It is also the first time that Georgia has started the SEC schedule with a 1-0 record since the 2016-17 season. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-10 lead by the halfway mark of the first half, but would go on a drought over a four-minute span to allow Auburn to tie the game with 6:06 remaining in the half. Wendell Green Jr. kicked off the run by making two free throws and tied the game at 21-21 on a layup. Momentum would not stay with Auburn long, however, as Georgia closed the half by outscoring Auburn, 16-10, to take a 37-30 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs shot 41% from the field through the first 20 minutes, while Auburn could only muster 30%. Green and Johni Broome led the team in scoring with seven points. Georgia stayed consistent out of the locker room, as they continued to pull away from the Tigers. The Bulldogs took a 60-53 lead with 7:30 remaining in regulation, which would be the closest deficit for the remainder of the game. The Bulldogs opened the game with a hot offensive start. Georgia shot 50% through the first nine minutes of the game to take a 15-10 lead. Terry Roberts and Mardrez McBride were perfect through the timeout, scoring four and two points respectively. Jabari Abdur-Rahim scored five points off the bench by connecting on three-of-four free throws and succeeding on a field goal. The loss brings Auburn’s record to 11-3, 1-1 in SEC play. Broome ended the game with a double-double, scoring 22 points and reeling in 10 rebounds. Allen Flanigan was next in line with 11 points off of the bench. Auburn returns to Neville Arena on Saturday to host No. 13 Arkansas Razorbacks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT.

Pearl unhappy with guard play as Tigers lose at Georgia Mark Murphy 5–6 minutes ATHENS, Georgia–Auburn got plenty of good shots vs. Georgia, but struggled to make enough of them as the Tigers went down 76-64 to the Bulldogs on Wednesday night at Stegeman Coliseum. The loss dropped Auburn to 11-3 for the basketball season and 1-1 in the SEC. Auburn finished the game with 69 field goal attempts, 16 more than the Bulldogs, but made just 24 to finish at 34.8 percent for the game. Georgia made the same number of field goals to finish at 45.3 percent from the field, including 50 percent shooting in the second half. The visitors didn’t get much production from anybody other than Johni Broome, who scored 22 points and pulled in a game-high 12 rebounds. Auburn’s only other scorer in double figures was Allen Flanigan with 11 points in a reserve role. “We have got to do a better job of checking out, boxing out and getting defensive rebounds–that is on all five of us on the court,” said Broome, who scored in double figures for an eighth consecutive game. “We have got to do a better job of being more disciplined.” Broome hit 9-17 field goals and Flanigan was 5-10, but the numbers were problematical for some of their teammates. For example: *Wendell Green missed all six of his treys and was 2-12 from the field. *Jaylin Williams was 1-9 from the field and 1-5 on three balls. *K.D. Johnson took five shots and made one, a three-pointer. “Our bigs were pretty good,” Coach Bruce Pearl said. “Our guards have to play better (vs. Arkansas on Saturday). Arkansas, obviously, is much better than Georgia.” Georgia got big scoring numbers from senior guard Terry Roberts, who scored 26, almost doubling his season average of 14.1 points. UGA’s top scorer for the season, junior guard Kario Oquendo, added 17 points for the Tigers. Roberts hit 8-16 field goals while adding two assists and three steals. Oquendo, who was 3-5 on treys, made 6-10 field goals. “Give Georgia credit, they really out-played us,” Pearl said. “Their guards are really good. I think that Roberts makes a huge difference for them. “Our challenge has been when we go up against really good guards, elite guards–Memphis and USC,” Pearl said, adding that UGA’s Oquendo and Roberts are both talented. Georgia led most of the first half as the Tigers struggled with their shooting. With the help of a 10-0 run Auburn led 24-23 on a jump shot by Flanigan, but the Bulldogs regained the lead 14 seconds later and were up 38-30 at halftime. Auburn made just 10-33 field goals (30.3 percent) while the Bulldogs hit 13-31 (41.9 percent). Auburn made 3-11 threes and 7-11 free throws while UGA made 4-9 threes and 8-10 free throws. Broome and Green led the Tigers in first half points with seven apiece. Roberts, a senior guard, scored 14 first half points for the Bulldogs while Oquendo added 11 points. Most of the other statistics were close at halftime. The Tigers were plus two in rebounds and committed eight turnovers, one more than Georgia. The Tigers cut the lead to four points on multiple occasions in the second half, the last time with 7:56 left on a fastbreak dunk by Flanigan on a pass from Green. For the game the Tigers pulled in 41 rebounds, two more than the Georgia. Each team turned the ball over 11 times and each team got 18 points from its bench. Where Georgia enjoyed a big edge was at the foul line, making 22-32 free throws to 10-16 for the visitors. Pearl said the Tigers got good play at center from Broome and Dylan Cardwell, but struggled at other spots. Broome's 22 points tied Green's total vs. Saint Louis for the most points by an Auburn player this season. “We needed to win more one-on-one battles," Pearl said. "Jaylin Williams needed to win his matchup. We can’t win if Jaylin goes 1-9. We just can’t. Wendell Green is double-teamed by the Bulldogs. (Photo: Dale Zanine, USA TODAY Sports) "We didn’t get off to a good start which have to do to win on the road, and they did, which gave them, obviously, some confidence,” Pearl said. “We have got to get better point guard play.” Stat of the Game: Auburn made three treys to the start the second half, but finished the 3-17. Worth Noting: The Tigers were outscored 36-28 for points in the paint. Up Next: The Tigers will take on Arkansas at 7:30 p.m. CST on Saturday at Neville Arena.

i have no shame i get it where i can find it...........lol

i put this on the football section because i imagine this has happened to Auburn before. i apologize texas tiger if i have caused you more work.plus an auburn grad wrote the piece! espn.com Inside the sideline paranoia of a college football coach Alex Scarborough 18–22 minutes 6:00 AM CT Alex ScarboroughESPN Staff Writer Close Covers the SEC. Joined ESPN in 2012. Graduate of Auburn University. COACHES TEND TO clam up when asked about paranoia among their ranks. Without fail, they'll start by saying they're too focused on the task at hand to worry about anyone pulling a fast one on them. Maybe they'll laugh and say they're naive. But eventually they'll admit to hearing cautionary tales through the years -- lip readers in the coaches box, parabolic microphones pointed where they shouldn't be, wild stuff that one Power 5 assistant says "would make [Bill] Belichick seem like a saint." Everyone's a gossip, especially in the small world of college football. Share enough stories, and don't be surprised when those previously buttoned-up coaches start divulging experiences of their own -- accounts of malfunctioning headsets and former players who went turncoat. Former Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said he never paid much attention to things like sign stealing until a few years ago, when television producers moved their cameras to the opposite side of the field. The reason was innocent enough; Niumatalolo said they wanted to get a shot of the Navy sideline with the brigade in the background. But then an assistant warned, "That's bad." Niumatalolo asked why and the assistant, whom he had recently hired, explained how the school he came from had spent three hours watching TV copy of Navy's games to match their signals to their plays. "We're the most paranoid people," Niumatalolo said. "And a lot of it there's good reason for." North Carolina coach Mack Brown sees a healthy level of mistrust as being an essential requirement for the job. "It's why my hair is really gray, I look old and I haven't slept well for 30 years," he said. The threat of subterfuge is so prevalent there's a shorthand for when it's believed to have happened: getting skunked. While stealing signals is as old as the sport itself, a source said it has become a "cottage industry" of late. Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles estimates 75% of teams steal signals. "It's bigger than most people know," he said. Technological advancements and expanding support staffs are fueling concerns. But analog methods aren't to be discounted, either. Just last week, Georgia coach Kirby Smart had to respond to an unsubstantiated rumor that his team had filmed Ohio State's practice. Smart brushed it off, calling it "ludicrous." Former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops once said that he regretted practicing in the Superdome prior to the 2003 Sugar Bowl because there were too many prying eyes. No place is safe, and no one is above suspicion. It turns out not even ball boys can be trusted to move freely on the opposing team's sideline over fears that they might hear (or record) sensitive information. The same goes for the seemingly innocuous members of the chain gang -- the crew that marks the line of scrimmage and line to gain, and holds the marker displaying what down it is. A longtime head coach and coordinator warned, "Think about all the money, dude," before ruling out any theory as being too far-fetched. "Think about it, and that's where it's at," he said. "When you got assistant coaches making $2 million a year -- assistant coaches! -- and you got position coaches making $600,000-800,000 a year, I mean, everybody gets used to a standard of living they want to maintain." LOGAN BLANKENSHIP GREW up playing football in North Carolina. His dad was a high school coach, and when he left for college at NC State, he wanted to get involved with the team. The pay was peanuts, but he figured being an equipment manager would be fun. He started the job during Dave Doeren's first season in 2013. Equipment managers do a little bit of everything, Blankenship explained, and as with a lot of thankless jobs, they're noticed only when something goes wrong. Eventually, he put in enough time to land what he said is the most sought-after position: ball boy. While you have to pay careful attention, he said, "It's the best seat in the house." The No. 1 rule, he said, is to be aware of your surroundings on the opposing sideline. Stay out of the way as much as possible, and whatever you do, don't cheer. He made that mistake during his first game, pumping his fist and yelping "Let's go!" after an official replay went NC State's way. "And I got told to shut the you-know-what up," he recalled. Surrounded by the opposing team -- wearing your team's colors and working on its behalf -- is exactly as awkward as it sounds. "You definitely feel like everyone is looking at you -- not just the players but the opposing coaches are kind of eyeing you," Blankenship said. "I guess there's a little bit of that paranoia going around." Every so often a coach would give him the cold shoulder, but there was one in particular who took it a step further. He "thought me and the other ball boys were stealing signals off the offense. And he made a big scene." He said the coach in question told him, "Get away from me!" At one point, the coach even went to the referees, gesturing toward Blankenship. Blankenship said it was bizarre. The game was close. You could feel the intensity in the stadium. Maybe that's why the coach was so wound up? Honestly, he said, he had to stop himself from laughing; it felt like such an out-of-body experience. He wondered, "Is this guy for real?" Later, he and his fellow equipment managers talked about the incident. "We were like, 'How would we even tell our guys what they were doing?'" he recalled. "I don't know. Some people have really good imaginations." Blankenship took a breath. And then a reporter asked, "Am I correct in assuming this was Bobby Petrino?" There were a few local reports around that time of the then-Louisville coach accusing NC State's ball boys of malfeasance. Blankenship wasn't named -- equipment managers don't show up in staff directories by and large -- but Google is a helluva thing. Blankenship sheepishly answered, "Yes." And then he burst out laughing. It was the most cringeworthy thing, he said. Remember, his goal was to do his job and go completely unnoticed. And there he was drawing the ire of a well-known coach in the middle of a football game. Thankfully, Blankenship said, his identity was never revealed -- until now. There were no threatening emails from Louisville fans in the days and weeks that followed. No one went sliding headfirst into his DMs. "Nothing really big came of it," said Blankenship, who is now a high school football coach. "It just became a funny story to share at parties later." DON'T THINK FOR a second that coaches would have been in on the joke. Petrino isn't the only one who looks at ball boys suspiciously. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi was a ball boy for his dad's Youngstown State teams as a kid, and even he sees the inherent conflict of being on the opposing sideline. Maybe it's because he knows too much. Back in his day -- we're talking more than 40 years ago at the Division II level -- ball boys pulled double duty, working for both sides. "The rules were: Keep the visiting balls as wet as you can if it was a rainy day," Narduzzi said. "Don't dry 'em off too good, OK? That was rule No. 1. And then make sure Youngstown State's balls were nice and dry." Narduzzi laughed. Being on the opposing sideline taught him how to deal with difficult people. "You got to go over there and take some crap," he said. But he claims he never took anything he heard about strategy back to his dad at halftime. "I wish I did," he admitted. Nowadays, he can't assume someone won't do that to him. There are no more innocent middle-schoolers working the sideline like he was. At the FBS level, they're typically college students who are part of the equipment staff. As was the case with Blankenship, many have backgrounds in the game. Narduzzi said other coaches will warn him before playing certain teams, "Hey, be aware of their ball boys." "We always worry about ball boys being in the box and listening to what we're doing," Narduzzi said. "We've heard about how they put young little coaches over as ball boys so they can hear what we're talking about. But you always worry about a skunk being on your sideline, for sure." Tulane coach Willie Fritz said he has never experienced anything untoward himself. The ball boys have a job to do, he said, and he respects that. But, he added in a hushed tone, "I've heard some stories." One he heard was how a ball boy would signal with his fingers: one for pass, two for run. Fritz's offensive coordinator, Jim Svoboda, had heard something similar. "Oooooh yeah," he said. He added, "If you just know it's run or pass, that's a big advantage." Late Mississippi State coach Mike Leach's eyes went wide at the mention of rogue ball boys during an interview in October. Leach, an eccentric and part-time historian who died last month, said there were teams "who honestly I don't believe deserve to be nameless" that he could "guarantee" pulled those tricks on him. "I've had some," he said of ball boys, "that looked a little too old and a little too clever." LEACH DIDN'T STOP there, of course. While he was curious about what other coaches had said about ball boy shenanigans, there was another position on the sideline he was eager to talk about: the chain gang. It should be noted that, contrary to what you might think, members of the chain gang are not hired by the conferences. Staffing and payment are handled by the home team, which presents an obvious potential conflict of interest. TCU coach Sonny Dykes, a Leach disciple, has had problems with the chain gang, too. An assistant warned him once that its members were using hand signals to tip off Dykes' team's plays. And while at Louisiana Tech, Dykes had a near-physical altercation with a member of the chain gang. "Nobody saw it because there were like, 40 people at the game, maybe," Dykes recalled. "But I walked by and he threw his shoulder into me and I was like, 'What's up?' Then next thing I know, dude takes a swing at me -- a full-on swing -- and missed me by 3 feet. He was clearly intoxicated." Svoboda said he'd heard of a chain gang member pointing up or down to signal run or pass plays to opposing coaches. But Leach's concern was less about information gathering as it was the act of sabotage. Again, Leach begrudgingly kept the name of the offending team a secret -- if snitching in college football ever took off, it would never stop -- but he nonetheless painted a vivid picture. "There was one team and the guy had done it for years," he said. "And it took me a year or two to figure it out, but it was one of the chain guys -- you know, the first-down chain. And he wasn't even holding one of 'em or doing the thing. He's just an extra guy standing with them with an outfit on and he'd just constantly get in your way. The whole game, he's in your way. ... He never said a word. He just mean-mugs you and doesn't say anything." Leach got so frustrated with the guy that he finally confronted him while the game was going on. "Listen," he said, "you get in my way, I'll knock your ass right out there on the field." He reiterated: "You're getting too close. You better get way the f--- away." It was deliberate, Leach was convinced. He went back and watched tape of other teams that had played at that stadium. He spotted the same chain gang member. "There!" he said. "He's into his mischief." Leach gave him some credit. The guy would intentionally stifle the coordinators when it wasn't the head coach calling plays. It was all right there, in high definition. "Bumping him, standing in front of him," Leach recalled. "Whatever he can to disrupt." When Leach made a return trip to the venue in question, he asked that the member of the chain gang not be used. And, lo and behold, Leach said, "He was front and center." So Leach confronted him again before the game and made sure he knew of his request. "If I have a bad time with you," Leach said, "I'll kick you out myself. I'll stop this game right here in the middle of this stadium in front of everybody." He smiled. "I didn't have a lot of problems with him after that," he said. A FEW YEARS ago, a Power 5 coach picked up the phone to lodge a complaint. Granted, it wasn't to the NCAA or a conference official who could actually do something about it. Remember, no snitching. Instead, the coach called a reporter one night, incredulous over what a conference opponent had done. The opponent in question had a reputation for cheating, the coach said, but this time it had gone too far and had sent what appeared to be a student assistant to one of his team's games to film their signals. It was obvious, the coach said, because the kid was in their stands, directly behind the bench, pointing a camera at the offensive signal-callers. When the defense was on the field, the camera disappeared. And the kid had on the worst disguise, the coach added, saying he was wearing all black in a sea of the home team's colors -- with a bright wristband the color of the team he worked for. A coach from another team told a similar story about that same opponent's cloak-and-dagger techniques. Once they film one or two games, the second coach explained, they have all your signals. "That's bulls---," he groused. But don't be naive, he said, "It happens more than we think." If you want to know why teams use dummy signal-callers and pop-up tents to block camera angles, that's why. Another favorite technique of coaches: covering their mouth when they're speaking into their headset. Because you never know who's capable of reading lips -- either with a set of binoculars or watching the TV broadcast in the coaches box. "It's sophisticated," a Power 5 head coach warned of sign-stealing tactics. A simple fix might be to follow the NFL's lead and allow coaches to communicate via headsets built into the helmets of an offensive and defensive player. But there's been no push of late to upgrade in-game technology. Besides, some coaches believe it would be a one-sided solution. Narduzzi, a longtime defensive assistant before he became a head coach, said offenses already dictate tempo and would go even faster with headsets. So he has a radical idea: use headsets but bar offenses from snapping the ball before 25 seconds on the clock until the 2-minute mark of each half. "Then we can actually huddle on offense, huddle as a defense, and now we can talk to the Mike linebacker and give a defense," Narduzzi said. "And now all of a sudden we have a real game and now offenses can't steal our s--- because they do." But there's not much hope. The NCAA rules committee has shown no willingness to slow down offenses. Still, Narduzzi said he'd suggest the change to the committee this offseason. For the time being, sign stealing remains a fact of life in college football. Not only is Knowles convinced that opponents have filmed his signals, he believes some teams will then turn around and share what they've learned with others. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?" Knowles said. Knowles said he doesn't like to talk about it because what can he really do to stop it? But since he was asked, he wasn't going to pretend it wasn't real. "It is a huge part of what goes on," he said, "and kind of a story behind the game." "You know," he said, "if you can imagine it, it can be done when you have resources and people and time." And the inclination. STEVE SHAW, NCAA national coordinator of officials, walks a fine line, acknowledging the concerns of coaches while dealing in the reality of what they're suggesting. Do bad actors exist in college football? Sure, Shaw will certainly allow for that. But he asks: What's the impact? Shaw said to first imagine that a ball boy or member of the chain gang is smart enough to comprehend what's being said by the coaches in his vicinity. Then imagine that individual is clever enough to signal what he has heard surreptitiously to the coaches across the field. Next imagine that coach on the receiving end both understands the message and has the time to relay it to the players before the ball is snapped. And, finally, imagine that information is correct, useful and leads to an impactful play. Shaw said the sophistication of such a system is hard to fathom. But, he added, "The paranoia still exists." Part of Shaw's job is to track down these rumors. Coaches might not speak up publicly, but they're not above sending an email to their conference office and attaching supporting video evidence. Shaw recalled an instance in which a video sent in by a coach appeared to show a ball boy signaling run or pass based on how he wore his hat. But it wasn't -- in officiating parlance -- indisputable evidence. What looks rock-solid in one clip can fall apart in the next. "Any time we've done these," Shaw said, "it's hard to run it all the way to ground." But there's something Shaw offers up on his own as an issue the sport might have to deal with in the near future. It's something multiple coaches have brought to his attention recently, and he believes it has merit: the misuse of smartwatches. As a blanket rule, technology of that nature isn't allowed on sidelines. But officials focus those rules on coaches, Shaw said, and not "ancillary personnel." So if a ball boy were to wear a smartwatch, what's to stop him from sidling up to the opposing team's coordinator, calling up the coaches box and letting those coaches listen in? If that sounds absurd, think again, because Shaw said there was a coach who sent in a video that appeared to suggest that very thing happened this season. Shaw said the video showed a ball boy with a smartwatch "loitering in the area." Shaw then asked, "So what does that tell you?" "We saw what he was saying," Shaw said, "but there's no way to confirm any of that. ... He didn't put his left arm up and say, 'Speak into the mic, Coach.' It was just where it could have been on." Shaw said his group didn't go as far as subpoenaing phone records, "but maybe that's the next step." Another possibility is addressing the use of smartwatches with the rules committee during the offseason. Shaw doesn't want to institute a TSA-style pre-check, but he said the officials have to remain vigilant. "Coaches, I mean, I love 'em, but they're paranoid," he said. "That's their world, right? They're all looking for -- if you get me a little advantage, that's what I need. I need just a little advantage." So who's to say how far they'll go and who they'll enlist in their efforts to find an edge? Shaw is as open as he can be with what he knows, but he got cagey when asked whether a ball boy or member of the chain gang has been disciplined for something illegal or unethical. Shaw laughed knowingly. "When I answer that," he said, "I know the follow-up question is, 'Tell me who.'" "These things are out there," he said. "They're more paranoia than anything. But, yes, have people been moved out of their assignment? Yes, they have." So, like any good urban legend, it's grounded in some amount of truth. But when everyone is operating in the dark, it's hard to see how big the problem really is.

well has he been on yellowstone yet?

sure. a five point vet is someone that served during a war but never fought or was in a war zone. a ten point is a vet that did in fact serve in a war zone and or fought. this is why when i tell folks i am a nam vet i make sure they understand i served and did not fight. there are many parading around like they were heroes or something when in fact they were not. but i guess folks that got lucky and did not have to fight still got some love for standing up for their country.those are five point vets...................

no sir but thanx for replying. i went back to the other board and figured it had to be him but knowing is better than guessing and being wrong. thanx again.

in case there was info i could "borrow". they kept referring to a running back we have they call cowboy. does anyone know who this is?

the way life is is it is ok for some to dip into the cess pool while others are not allowed the same when it happens. the game has changed with players getting paid so now it is more about hired guns and winning than it is about the normal feel good fluff about college ball.

i was just going to post this. also the word is briles is considering leaving arkie to mississippi state and he was supposedly offered two mil a year which is the going rate for outstanding coordinators.

i post his auburn videos all the time in my articles. he is my favorite of all of them. lol so much for telling him how much we love him................

doing my morning articles and videos i decided to tell mr duke how much we love him here at AUFAM and how much we appreciated him. here is his reply......... 🌟 Dukesthescoop replied: "I love au fam. I’ll definitely come hang out" 1 minute ago this is so awesome! lets please show him some love or show him some when he comes in for a visit. i find it amazing sometimes who all checks out the FAM.

we should be killing each other with kindness. i forgot to add this.

some idiots have no business with guns.

Auburn basketball drops in latest AP Top 25 poll Lance Dawe ~2 minutes Auburn won their only game vs Florida last week but fell two spots in the latest AP top 25 poll. The Tigers (11-2, 1-0 SEC) fell to No. 22 in the poll, but not because of their own doing - Xavier and Missouri climbed above them after beating No. 2 UConn and No. 19 Kentucky, respectively. There are now five SEC teams ranked, with the Kentucky Wildcats falling completely out of the poll following a blowout loss to Mizzou. Here is the week nine AP Top 25 poll in its entirety. 1. Purdue 2. Houston 3. Kansas 4. UConn 5. Arizona 6. Texas 7. Alabama 8. Tennessee 9. Gonzaga 10. UCLA 11. Virginia 12. Miami 13. Arkansas 14. Wisconsin 15. Indiana 16. Duke 17. TCU 18. Xavier 19. Baylor 20. Missouri 21. New Mexico 22. Auburn 23. College of Charleston 24. Ohio State 25. Iowa State

Bruce Pearl has 'no doubts' about Chance Westry despite diminished role Published: Jan. 03, 2023, 9:45 a.m. 5–6 minutes Chance Westry watched from the bench last week as Auburn opened SEC play with a hard-fought win against Florida in Neville Arena. For the first time since his return from offseason knee surgery, the highly touted freshman did not see the floor for the Tigers, logging a DNP—coach’s decision during their 61-58 victory against the Gators. It was the latest development in Westry’s role, which has diminished over the last five games as No. 22 Auburn (11-2, 1-0 SEC) prepares for its first conference road game Wednesday at Georgia (10-3, 0-0). Read more Auburn sports: Nehemiah Pritchett returning to Auburn for 2023 season Charles Barkley wants to help as many as he can while he is ‘on the back 9 of life’ Meet Hugh Freeze’s 2023 Auburn football coaching staff The former four-star prospect went from averaging more than 14 minutes per game in his first six games post-surgery to playing eight minutes against both Memphis and Georgia State, a combined two minutes during Auburn’s two-game West Coast swing, to falling out of the rotation entirely in the team’s SEC opener last week. During the four games prior to last Wednesday’s Florida game, Westry shot a combined 1-of-9 from the field, 0-of-4 from 3-point range and had five turnovers against three assists. Despite the freshman’s lessened role of late, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl has maintained confidence in the long-term outlook for Westry, who was a top-40 player in the 2022 class. “First of all, he’s handled it terrific; he has,” Pearl said Monday. “Chance Westry is going to be a great player in this program…. I have no doubts about his future in this program.” For now, at least, the versatile 6-foot-6 guard is taking a backseat in the rotation as Auburn gives him more time to get right following his preseason knee procedure. Westry underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee on Oct. 6 — the same day Pearl had a similar procedure done on his knee — and missed most of the preseason after a promising summer of development, which included Auburn’s three-game tour in Israel. Westry didn’t return to the court until Nov. 15 against Winthrop, missing the first two games of the season. He saw time at both guard spots and on the wing in his debut but then shifted focus to playing point guard behind Wendell Green Jr. Westry’s career hasn’t gotten off to the start many expected, however. In 10 games, he’s averaging 2.7 points, 1.1 assists, less than a rebound per game and has shot just 31.1 percent overall while going 0-of-14 from beyond the arc. “He missed the entire fall,” Pearl said. “He had pretty good, major knee surgery. He came back and he wasn’t what he was before his injury and what he was this summer. At this point, then, you’ve got to look at the guys that are able to be out there and go, ‘OK, we’re going to go with them right now.’ Right now, he’s just working to get back to 100 percent.” What that means for Auburn’s rotation as SEC play picks up is that Allen Flanigan and Chris Moore will continue to split time at the three, Zep Jasper and K.D. Johnson will work at the two, while freshman Tre Donaldson will serve as Green’s backup at the one. As Westry’s role has shrunk in recent weeks, Donaldson has seen his grow. The 6-foot-2 freshman, like Westry, has seen his role fluctuate this season. He went from playing double-digit minutes off the bench in Auburn’s first four games, to single-digit spells against Bradley (6 minutes), Northwestern (3 minutes) and Colgate (3 minutes), to a pair of DNPs against Saint Louis and Memphis. Over the last four games, though, Donaldson has been thrust back into the backcourt rotation, averaging more than 16 minutes per game during that stretch. He has made the most of the opportunity behind Green, too. Donaldson is averaging five points, 2.5 rebounds, three assists, two steals and just one turnover per game over the Tigers’ last four outings while shooting 50 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range. “I just think that Tre’s done a good job, especially when he was out of the rotation and then got the opportunity to get back into the rotation and took advantage of the opportunity,” Peal said. “Stayed right and stayed ready. Kept working. Understood the position that he was in but wasn’t happy about it and came back and has played better than what he did at any time since he’s been here. The speed and the physicality of the game compared to high school, it’s just night and day. “When Tre plays with a motor, he’s really effective out there. And there’s a lot of responsibility on the point guard. He’s done a pretty good job. There aren’t many freshman point guards playing in college basketball right now.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

Auburn basketball is pushing hard to land two elite 2024 players Andrew Stefaniak ~2 minutes Two of Auburn's biggest class of 2024 targets cut their lists over the last few days, and both had Auburn listed. Ace Bailey cut his list to 12 schools, including Kentucky, Georgia, Rutgers, Texas, Memphis, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kansas, West Virginia, Arkansas, Oregon, and of course, Auburn. Tahaad Pettiford cut his list to seven schools, including UCLA, Kansas, Kentucky, UConn, Seton Hall, Ole Miss, and Auburn. Bailey is ranked 15th overall on 247Sports, with Pettiford right on his tail at the 26 spot. The Tigers currently only have one commit in the class of 2024, and this is big man Peyton Marshall who is 48th overall in the class. If the Tigers could land Bailey and Pettiford, they would have their point guard, power forward, and center of the future. It is still amazing to see the Auburn logo on the lists for these top recruits next to the blue bloods like Kentucky and Kansas. Before Coach Pearl brought this program from the depths of college hoops to the top, you would have never seen this happen. Decisions from these two are likely, not close, but you can rest assured knowing Coach Pearl and his staff will be doing everything in their power to get them on the Plains for good. If you want to see our breakdown of Bailey, click here. If you want to see our breakdown of Pettiford, click here. Engage with Auburn Daily on Socials! Join the Discord

Auburn/SEC basketball notes: busy stretch for Tigers By Mark MurphyMon Jan 02 2023 16 AUBURN, Alabama–Coach Bruce Pearl’s Auburn basketball team will be busy with three games in 10 days beginning with a rivalry contest on Wednesday. The upcoming three games include a pair of road contests plus a Saturday night home matchup vs. a ranked opponent. Following a week off since winning their SEC opener at home vs. the Florida Gators, the Tigers will return to action on Wednesday at Georgia. Tipoff for the game vs. the Bulldogs is set for 5:30 p.m. CST with television coverage on the SEC Network. Auburn, which is 11-2 overall and 1-0 in the SEC, is ranked 22nd in the first AP Top 25 poll of 2023. That is two spots below last week’s ranking for the Tigers. The Tigers moved up three spots in the USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll to 20th after edging Florida 61-58. In their third true road game of the season the Tigers will face the 10-3 Bulldogs, who are 8-0 this season at Stegeman Coliseum. For Coach Mike White the matchup vs. the Tigers will be his first SEC game as head coach of the Bulldogs after making the move to Athens from the University of Florida. Three days later the Tigers will take on Arkansas at Neville Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CST for a contest that will be televised on the SEC Network. The Razorbacks, who are ranked 13th in this week’s AP Poll, were upset in their league opener at LSU to drop to 11-2 for the season. Arkansas fell four spots in this week’s AP ranking. LSU has the most votes of any team outside the Top 25. Three days after playing the Razorbacks, Auburn will be back on the road for a Tuesday night contest at Ole Miss. The Rebels are 8-5 and 0-1 in the SEC after losing a 63-59 home game to Tennessee. Another SEC team, the Kentucky Wildcats, dropped out of the AP Top 25 after losing at Missouri and are four spots out of the ranking. Missouri moved into this week’s poll at No. 20 while Mississippi State dropped out with the 28th most votes. Also from the SEC, Tennessee dropped one spot in this week’s AP Poll coming in at eighth. Purdue (13-0) remains No. 1. The only other unbeaten team in the Top 25 is 14-0 New Mexico. The 14-0 Lobos moved one spot ahead of Auburn and are ranked 21st. In the coaches poll Purdue is also No. 1. SEC teams making that Top 25 in addition to Auburn include Alabama (7th), Tennessee (9th), Arkansas (13th), Missouri (21st) and Kentucky is tied for 25th with Iowa State. Auburn and SEC basketball notes: Auburn is eighth in scoring among SEC teams at 72.69 points per game and tied with Arkansas for third in scoring defense at 61.77 points per game behind Tennessee (53.23) and Mississippi State (54.54). Missouri is the top scoring team with its average of 88.77 points...Pearl’s Tigers are ranked seventh in field goal shooting (44.2 percent) and third in field goal defense (38.9 percent). Missouri is hitting at a 51.1 percent rate, which leads the league and is ranked fourth nationally with Gonzaga No. 1 at 52.6 percent. Tennessee leads the league in field goal defense, allowing opponents to make just 33.2 percent of their shots, which ranks No. 1 nationally...Auburn leads the nation in blocked shots at 6.8 per game...Every SEC team is currently above .500 in won/loss percentage with Vanderbilt and South Carolina having the worst records at 7-6. LSU and Missouri, teams with new head coaches, have the best records at 12-1. Both the Bayou Bengals and Mizzou are 1-0 in league play along with Auburn, Tennessee and Alabama, teams that are 11-2 overall. 16COMMENTS Brandon Miller of Alabama is leading the SEC in scoring at 19.2 points per game. On Monday he was named SEC Freshman of the Week. Auburn’s top scorer, Wendell Green, is 18th at 12.7 with Johni Broome next at 12.3...Broome is fifth in the SEC in rebounding at 8.4 per game. Last season’s SEC and national player of the year, Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky, leads the nation in the category with 13.6 per contest. Auburn’s Jaylin Williams is 20th among SEC rebounders at 5.3 per outing...Broome is second in the league in blocked shots at 2.67 per game behind Liam Robbins, who is averaging 2.85 for Vanderbilt. Dylan Cardwell is fourth at 2.15...Broome is sixth in the league in field goal percentage at 49.6. Missouri’s Kobe Brown, who has sparked his team’s surprising start, is the league leader at 60.6 percent...Another Auburn player in the Top 10 of an SEC individual category is Green, who is seventh in free throw percentage at 80.0. The junior guard is 11th in assists at 3.54 per contest...Another junior guard, K.D. Johnson, is 10th in the league in free throw accuracy at 78.3 percent...LSU guard Trae Hannibal, a 6-2, 215-pound senior from Elliott, S.C., came off the bench for 19 points on 9-14 shooting vs. Arkansas to earn SEC Player of the week honors.

Auburn aims to maintain success vs. Georgia, buck trend against Mike White Published: Jan. 04, 2023, 7:00 a.m. 5–6 minutes A familiar foe in a new setting is sprucing up Auburn’s rivalry with Georgia. When No. 22 Auburn travels to Athens, Ga., for a 5:30 p.m. CT tip against Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum, Bruce Pearl will once again be going toe to toe with a coach who has gotten the best of him in recent years. Georgia coach Mike White, formerly the head coach at Florida for seven seasons, has won six of his teams’ nine matchups against Pearl’s Auburn squads since the 2015-16 season. Read more Auburn sports: Bruce Pearl has ‘no doubts’ about Chance Westry despite Auburn freshman’s diminished role Charles Barkley wants to help as many as he can while he is ‘on the back 9 of life’ Meet Hugh Freeze’s 2023 Auburn football coaching staff “Mike White has done a great job against me personally,” Pearl said. “I told you guys about matchups; I think matchups matter. I think he’s done a good job with his teams.” Now White will try to continue to be a thorn in Pearl’s side with his new team at Georgia, where he took over in the offseason after making the jump from Gainesville, Fla., to Athens. White’s Bulldogs have gotten off to a strong start this season, already eclipsing the team’s win total from last season. Georgia won just six games during the 2021-22 campaign and is off to a 10-3 start to the season in Year 1 under White that includes an 8-0 mark at home. “The more I watch Georgia—and obviously, we’ve had time to watch Georgia—the more impressed I’ve been with them, “Pearl said. “Mike has come in and done a really good job. They’ve got an older, veteran team with a lot of transfers. They’re playing pretty well right now. They still, you know, don’t know a lot about themselves in the sense that they haven’t played as tough of a schedule. But I think as a result, they’ve built up some confidence. “They’re way better than they were a year ago. They’re just way better than a year ago.” To that end, Georgia has yet to play a game against a Quad 1 opponent this season and is 0-2 in Quad 2 games. Only two high-major programs have played, and won, more Quad 4 games this season than the Bulldogs, who are 8-0 in those matchups. Still, Pearl isn’t taking Georgia lightly, even as Auburn has won eight of the last 10 meetings in the series. Between that trend and White’s string of success against Pearl’s Auburn teams, something has to give Wednesday evening at Stegeman Coliseum. “We’ll go back and look at how they guard us and what they ran against us and try to make some anticipation as to what they’ll do — whether they do some of the things they’ve done,” Pearl said. “Typically, coaches like Mike — I’m not going to put him in my category as far as age is concerned, I won’t do that to him — but Mike’s been around long enough that he’s a veteran coach. Veterans typically do what veterans do.” What White has typically done against Pearl’s teams is limit them offensively. In White’s six wins against Auburn while at Florida, the Gators held the Tigers to 65 points per game. In Pearl’s three head-to-head victories against White, Auburn’s scoring average was 10 points higher (75.3). Still, the Tigers scored more than 80 points just twice in those nine games. White has brought that same defensive tenacity to Georgia, where the Bulldogs have been much improved on that end this season. Georgia is 83rd nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency this season, according to KenPom, and the Bulldogs have given up 80-plus points just twice so far—in losses to Wake Forest and UAB. Last year’s Georgia team was 318th in adjusted defensive efficiency and gave up nearly 80 points per game on average (78.5 for the year). “You can scout them and look at what they’re doing against others, but then against us, oftentimes, they’ll do something different than what they’ve been doing,” Pearl said of White’s teams. “Unique to us. And so sometimes it’s — because not everybody plays like we do. It’s hard to look at what other people are doing and then figure ‘Well, that’s what they’re going to do.’ The matchup obviously has been competitive. It’s getting harder and harder to predict what people are going to do against us. So, you’ve just got to be prepared for no matter what they do and make the adjustments on the fly.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

auburnwire.usatoday.com Auburn at Georgia: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for Wednesday's game in Athens Taylor Jones 2–3 minutes Georgia hosts Auburn on Wednesday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place. The No. 20 Auburn Tigers look to earn its second SEC win of the young conference season on Wednesday when they face the Georgia Bulldogs for game one of a home-and-home series at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens. Buy Tigers Tickets Auburn earned a last-minute win last Wednesday over Florida, 61-58 in the SEC opener at Neville Arena. Johni Broome and Wendell Green Jr. each scored 14 points in the win. Broome also secured 11 rebounds. The Bulldogs are under the direction of first-year head coach Mike White, who comes to Georgia after winning 142 games in seven seasons at Florida. Georgia is a much-improved team under White says Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “The more I watch Georgia, and, obviously, we have had time to watch Georgia, the more impressed I have been with them,” Pearl said Monday. “Mike (White) has come in and done a really good job. They have got an older, veteran team with a lot of transfers. They are playing pretty well right now.” Below, you will find all of the key information needed ahead of Wednesday’s game between the Tigers and Bulldogs including broadcast information, injury reports, and a projected starting lineup. Here’s when you should tune in to see the game: Date: Wednesday, Jan. 4 Time: 5:30 p.m. CT TV Channel: SEC Network Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here) Radio: Auburn Sports Network (Andy Burcham, Brad Law) AUBURN G Chance Westry Knee Questionable for Wednesday’s game GEORGIA No Injuries Reported AUBURN Wendell Green Jr. (12.7 PPG) Johni Broome (8.4 RPG) Chris Moore (57.1 3P%) GEORGIA Kairo Oquendo (14.3 PPG) KyeRon Lindsay (5.2 RPG) Terry Roberts (4.4 APG) AUBURN Johni Broome F Chris Moore F Jaylin Williams F Zep Jasper G Wendell Green Jr. G GEORGIA Matthew-Alexander Moncrief F Braelen Bridges C Terry Roberts G Kairo Oquendo G Mardez McBride G