Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college basketball (pink slips sold separately at Alabama (1):</p> <h2 class="subhead">Next?</h2>
With Mark Gottfried (2) becoming the first major coaching casualty of 2009, speculation season officially is under way. Nine other jobs in "Big Six" conferences that could come open sometime between now and April: <div class="mod-inline image image-right"> <div style="margin-left: 10px; width: 200px;">
<div style="width: 200px;"> <cite>AP Photo/Phil Coale</cite>It might take another shocking SEC tourney title for Georgia coach Dennis Felton to keep his job. </div> </div> </div>Georgia (3). The coach: Dennis Felton. The problem: Felton is six games below .500 in 5½ seasons at Georgia, and just 26-58 in SEC games. If the Bulldogs hadn't had that miracle Southeastern Conference tournament championship last March, Felton probably would have been out then. There has been no carryover from that run, as the Bulldogs have staggered their way to the only losing record in a bad SEC.
Auburn (4). The coach: Jeff Lebo. The problem: Even in a division that has had plenty of fluidity in recent years, the Tigers cannot make any headway. In 4½ years under Lebo, Auburn has never had a .500 league record and has done better than 4-12 only once. And a new $92 million arena is under construction, which could add some sense of urgency.
</p> <h2 class="subhead">Because It's Never Too Early To Panic …</h2>The entire SEC West (19). Since the Southeastern Conference expanded to 12 teams and split into two divisions in 1991-92, neither division has ever failed to put a team in the NCAA tournament field. That could easily change this season, with the West populated by disappointments. Arkansas got early attention for beating Oklahoma and Texas, but since has gone 0-4 in SEC play, bottoming out with a 22-point home loss Saturday to an Auburn team that was previously winless in the league. Mississippi has the best RPI at 76, while Alabama the worst at 137 -- and that was bad enough to cost Crimson Tide coach Mark Gottfried his job Monday afternoon.
link to whole story:
http://sports.espn.go.com...=3863246&sportCat=ncb
</p>
With Mark Gottfried (2) becoming the first major coaching casualty of 2009, speculation season officially is under way. Nine other jobs in "Big Six" conferences that could come open sometime between now and April: <div class="mod-inline image image-right"> <div style="margin-left: 10px; width: 200px;">
Auburn (4). The coach: Jeff Lebo. The problem: Even in a division that has had plenty of fluidity in recent years, the Tigers cannot make any headway. In 4½ years under Lebo, Auburn has never had a .500 league record and has done better than 4-12 only once. And a new $92 million arena is under construction, which could add some sense of urgency.
</p> <h2 class="subhead">Because It's Never Too Early To Panic …</h2>The entire SEC West (19). Since the Southeastern Conference expanded to 12 teams and split into two divisions in 1991-92, neither division has ever failed to put a team in the NCAA tournament field. That could easily change this season, with the West populated by disappointments. Arkansas got early attention for beating Oklahoma and Texas, but since has gone 0-4 in SEC play, bottoming out with a 22-point home loss Saturday to an Auburn team that was previously winless in the league. Mississippi has the best RPI at 76, while Alabama the worst at 137 -- and that was bad enough to cost Crimson Tide coach Mark Gottfried his job Monday afternoon.
link to whole story:
http://sports.espn.go.com...=3863246&sportCat=ncb
</p>