Auburn Basketball: Is It Time to Start Worrying?

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After falling to Arkansas Wednesday night, Auburn sits at 12-8 (2-4 SEC) on the season after starting the year 8-1.

Despite Auburn playing competitively in three of its four SEC losses, the real question is when Auburn will finish a close conference game and come out victorious.

Having already played two of the toughest teams in the conference, Kentucky and Vanderbilt, the current issue is if it's too late for Auburn to turn its season around and finish the year with a winning record in the SEC.

Let's take a look at each side of the debate.

Auburn's Season Is All but Officially over

Inconsistency has been something that has plagued Auburn all season.

While their record may not show it, the Tigers have struggled in a majority of their games. And now that Head Coach Tony Barbee's team is facing teams in the SEC, it's starting to show.

In Auburn's two most recent losses, at LSU and at Arkansas, it had a chance to put the game away but ultimately came up short.

That inconsistency includes shooting 34.9 percent against LSU.

One question Barbee has had the entire season is who the go-to player is on the offensive side of the court. And that question still has not been answered.

It currently appears junior guard Frankie Sullivan may be that guy, but after shooting 20 percent from the field and 25 percent beyond the arc against Arkansas, and only scoring 10 points, Sullivan is still a small question mark.

The Tigers have lacked a decent center all year, and that's still arguably one of the biggest problems.

Starting junior center Rob Chubb has scored one point over the last two games. He's also continued to be a foul machine.

With as many question marks as there still are, and with only 10 games remaining this season, it may be time for Auburn to hang it up and be happy to have won more games than last year.

The Tigers Have Shown Improvement

While Auburn has faltered in close games in SEC play, this team has been much improved from last year's squad.

Despite last year's team playing with more heart than talent, this team started the year the exact opposite.

Head Coach Tony Barbee has complained and harped on Auburn's weaknesses all year, and the team has listened and improved in those places.

Barbee has been looking for a "catalyst," as he phrases it, and guard Frankie Sullivan has lived up to the bill recently.

After scoring in double digits in the Tigers last three games, Sullivan is averaging 12.8 points in SEC games this season. He's become the "catalyst."

Despite not improving statistically, center Rob Chubb has improved substantially.

Chubb, who has struggled with ball control all season, has begun passing the ball back out after being swarmed by defenders, giving Tigers like Sullivan an open shot.

Guard Josh Wallace has also brought a lot to the table defensively, recently gaining a starting spot at point guard.

The hustle Wallace has on defense makes up for his lack of offensive production. After guard Varez Ward was injured during the Arkansas game, Auburn may need Wallace to step up even more, something the walk-on will be able to do.

The team's chemistry is ultimately what has allowed it to be close in games such as Kentucky, when Auburn is clearly the inferior team.

With all of these things coming full circle and Auburn's SEC schedule getting easier, the Tigers could make a push toward a .500 record in the conference.

Final Thoughts

Toward the beginning of the season, after one of Auburn's close wins, guard Frankie Sullivan said that the goal of this year's team is to simply continue to rebuild the program.

Head Coach Tony Barbee, who signed a contract extension through 2017 earlier this month, has been doing that.

That's the ultimate goal, and this season has been a stepping stone in that process.

Last season was the introduction to the Barbee era, in which Auburn showed it would come to play each night and can beat a few teams it was underdogs against.

Fans took notice. The 1,500-seat student section has been sold out almost every game this season. A need for student support is something Barbee has harped on, and he's gotten it.

The majority of the Arena is full any given game, but Auburn Arena has yet to have a true sellout with every seat full.

However, in only the second year of the Barbee Era, fans are buying into Barbee the same way the players are. At the end of the day, that will restore Auburn back to a successful program.

If Auburn continues to compete in most games and win most of the time, and if fans continue to fill the seats, the 2011-12 season will be a success.

That's why Auburn fans have nothing to worry about.