The grand opening of Auburn Arena is scheduled for Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. The Auburn athletic department will celebrate the official opening of the $86 million Auburn Arena with a basketball celebration highlighting the men’s and women’s teams.

This will be the first opportunity for fans to see new head coach Tony Barbee and the men’s basketball team in action, as Oct. 15 marks the first day teams can officially conduct practice in preparation for the 2010-11 season.

Barbee is bringing his exciting, up-tempo style of play to Auburn after averaging 20.5 wins per season in four years as head coach at UTEP. Barbee was named the 2010 Conference USA Coach of the Year after leading the Miners to an NCAA Tournament appearance last season. He has advanced to postseason play in 18 of his 19 seasons as a head coach, assistant coach and player.

The Auburn women’s basketball team is also preparing to open its official practice season in the new arena with a team that returns all but one player from the 2010 squad. Coach Nell Fortner, the 2009 SEC Coach of the Year, said the grand opening of the arena is a great day for Auburn basketball in what will be an exciting year that culminates with Auburn hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Globetrotters to make special appearance

The Harlem Globetrotters will make a special appearance at the grand opening event, marking the first time they have played in Auburn in 41 years. Hot on the heels of the most successful year in franchise history, the legendary Globetrotters will help open the new state-of-the-art Auburn Arena, showcasing the wholesome family entertainment that has provided lifetime memories for generations of fans.

“We are honored for the opportunity to help christen the new Auburn Arena,” said Michael Kenney, the Globetrotters’ senior vice president.
Tickets, which are free, will be made available to all Auburn men’s and women’s basketball season ticket holders.

Women’s golf finishes 12th
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Auburn junior Patricia Sanz carded a final-round 71 at the NCAA Fall Preview, but it was not enough, as the sixth-ranked Tigers tallied a 14-over 302 in the final round to finish in 12th place with a 31-over-par 895.

Hosted by Texas A&M, the NCAA Fall Preview was a 54-hole tournament played at the par-72, 6,271-yard Traditions Club at Texas A&M, the site of the 2011 NCAA Championship. The three-day tournament featured nine teams ranked in the GolfWorld top 10 and 17 ranked in the top 25.

Auburn head coach Kim Evans said it was a rough start that plagued the round for the Tigers and that the team will have to improve before the next tournament.

“Patricia Sanz broke through and had a good round for us (Wednesday), and I was glad to see that,” said Evans.

“We just had a rough start on the first few holes. We played well through the middle of the round, but did not make the most of it. We are going to have to work hard and improve before going to Vanderbilt next week.”

The 1-under-par 71 bolted Sanz up 20 places on the scoreboard, taking her from a tie for 62nd after the second round to a tie for 42nd with her tournament-total 7-over 223.
Senior Cydney Clanton led the Tigers in the final standings, finishing 24th out of the 93-player field with a 2-over-par 218. She carded a 5-over 77 in the final round.