The End Of Beard-Eaves

When FOSG Mark Harmon would call highlights from Auburn University, he would refer to the location as the "corner of Roosevelt and Donahue"- which it was.

Now, it won't be talking about Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum ((pictured, thanks to TBH all the way through)). It'll be talking about the new 9,600 seat, $92-million Auburn Arena ((sponsorship available by contacting AD Jay Jacobs in the adjoining building)).

The women's team had their swan song over the weekend past, but Wednesday night was the guy's turn. The regular season home finale was a tall order against Mississippi State. TBH was summarily warned about Jarvis Varnado and his shot-blocking prowess, but she was ready for the end of the line in a place she's seen games in for most of her WDE life.

There was your standard amount of pomp and circumstance for senior night, but the 42-year-old building had already seen its share of cherry-picking and scraping. The concourse walls were pretty bare- short of photos of the athletes that had done their best on the hardwood floor.

Even if they called the game a "sell-out" when only 60-percent of the seats in the building actually had a butt in the seat.

Jeff Lebo's 2009-2010 Tigers have established a reputation for shooting from the outside without any real conscience and a 40-plus percent success rate. They're two games under .500 going in, and there's talk on the campus that with a new building comes a new head coach.

Not surprising when you play three guards, have no real big man, and Tay Waller has found his stroke from outside the 19'9" line in the last month.

Their outside shooting got them a nine-point lead against a ((seemingly)) uninterested Mississippi State team... just didn't look like they wanted to be around at all...

But, as has been the case with a lot of Auburn games this year, the lead went from nine to three in about three minutes early in the second half. Despite TBH's protestations, Coach Lebo did not call the requested time out and the Bulldogs kept it close.

For some reason, the Tigers made their way through the woods and survived 89-80.

And then the question was raised by TBH and her friend "D." If this was the end result, then why don't they just build a new arena every year to guarantee an Auburn win for the men's hoops team...???

Cute...

More pomp and circumstance... both nets had to be cut down, but not before the Tiger/Eagle/Plainsman that scored the first basket got to score the last one. Wally Tinker, now in his early 60's, used the window to bank home a seven-footer- much to the delight of the current squad- who acted like a bunch of kids when Tinker went off the glass.

Just about every well-known person, including Wesley Person, got to cut down a piece of it all. And there it is, there it was, and there it will be...

Shiny new memories to go with the old ones put aside...

And, yes, Beard-Eaves may have been old, dusty, and rarely 100-percent filled, but it was there for Pistol Pete, the Stones, Barkley, and Elvis.

However, it was Auburn's own old, dusty, and rarely 100-percent filled joint.

Here's how our friends at WSFA-TV in Montgomery tackled the closing...

The Great Wall And A Grey Beard...

You've seen the hype.

You followed all the trials and tribulations when he was a high school senior trying to determine whether or not his time of Raleigh-Word Of God would send him to Miami or Duke.

Sure, Coach Cal was at the front of the line, but the whole Memphis fiasco put that in limbo- as did the illegal contact from his AAU coach that forced him to sit the first two UK games this year.

You wonder what all the hype is about... you know he's a one-and-done, but it's like that wreck on the side of the road. You want to check it out on your way past...

Thus, another game at the last year of Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum on the corner of Roosevelt and Donahue on the Auburn campus.

((Ashley Judd is on the front row somewhere behind the UK bench, pictured thanks to me... What...? You don't see her...???))

Before the game was over, I think the entire world saw a bit of a blueprint on how to beat Kentucky come tournament time. It starts with free throw shooting...

I know that comes as some short of a shock when it comes to a Cal-Coached team...
The second-ranked Wildcats went 23-for-35, but at one point were 15-for-26. Wall's free throws down the stretch saved that average. Auburn only went 8-for-14, but the ridiculously one-sided whistling by SEC officials gave it that margin.

Auburn drew close in the first half, but a DeMarcus Cousins block/no-call and a bucket at the other end turned what could have been a four-point game to an eight-point game. That also happened on two possessions in the second half where the Tigers could have drawn even, but block/no-calls ((and a 10-second call on a walk-up and a bad cross-court pass on offense)) gave away too many opportunities.

There's your second point... you can't give away possessions. Auburn was smaller on the inside and had to live and die by the three. They were 9-for-24. At times, DeWayne Reed was out of his mind from the outside for an over matched Jeff Lebo-coached team.

Kentucky tried to turn the game into a track meet, but Auburn wasn't buying. The possessions were slowed down, the ball was worked around, and there were a lot of chacnes with the paint wide open that went ignored off a back door look.

One last thing...

Kentucky's speed can not be taken for granted- ever. Ever. Ever. Ever. Ever. Ever.

And I'm talking on both offense and defense. Their closing speed when the other team is in transition is unreal, their size on the inside needs to be matched for any level of success if your favorite team can't shoot from the outside.

And Wall...??? Flashes of brilliance, freshman mistakes, and team that's now 18-0.