Auburn will play Rutgers in the fourth annual DIRECTV SEC/Big East Invitational in the brand new CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh on ESPN2 on Saturday, Dec. 11 as part of a basketball doubleheader with Tennessee vs. Pittsburgh, ESPN Regional Television announced.

Game times for the doubleheader will be announced at a later date. This marks the second time that Auburn has played in the SEC/Big East
Invitational as the Tigers lost to West Virginia in 2007 at the BJCC Arena in Birmingham.

The two-night men’s college basketball event features four games from two off-campus sites beginning on Dec. 8 at Freedom Hall in Louisville with Arkansas vs. Seton Hall at 6 p.m. on ESPN2 followed by Kentucky vs. Notre Dame at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.

“This is great for college basketball and for the SEC, Big East and ESPN to continue to be a part of this format,” said first-year Auburn head coach Tony Barbee. “It is outstanding for both leagues, and it is important to have high-level basketball exposure in December.

“This will be a good early test for our team, and we are happy that the Auburn alumni clubs in the Northeast will have the chance to see us play.”

Auburn has a 4-1 record all-time against Rutgers while defeating the Scarlet Knights 82-70 on Dec. 8, 2002, in Auburn in the last meeting between the two. The Tigers are 15-12 all-time against the Big East.

Frank Bradley to join swimming staff
Frank Bradley has been named associate head coach of the Auburn swimming and diving program, head coach Brett Hawke announced earlier this week.

Bradley comes to Auburn from Indian River State College, where he served the previous five years, including as head coach the last four years.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Auburn swimming to work with one of the best and most respected coaches in the country,” Hawke
said. “Frank brings exceptional leadership qualities, is team driven and results-oriented.

“Frank’s enthusiasm and willingness to work as a part of a team will be a great addition to our staff. He has gained enormous amounts of respective from his former student-athletes and we’re very happy to have him a part of the Auburn family.”

At Indian River, Bradley continued the storied legacy of the school’s swim program as he guided both men’s and women’s teams to five National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) titles. The men have won 36-straight titles, while the women have won 29-consecutive national championships and 32 overall.

“I am very excited to be working with Brett, the rest of the staff and the team here at Auburn,” Bradley said. “I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of a great athletic department and university. This is a great transition for my family and for me professionally.”

In his five years of coaching at Indian River, Bradley’s student-athletes compiled an extensive list of accolades. A total of 45 NJCAA national records and 53 school records were set, 177 NJCAA national titles were earned and 13 student-athletes were named NJCAA Swimmer of the
Year.

Among the long list of student-athletes Bradley coached is former Auburn swimmer Gideon Louw. Louw, the 2010 SEC Champion in the 50 and 100 free, was a seven-time NJCAA champion in 2008 under Bradley. Louw captured the 50 free, 100 free and 200 free individual races and was a part of four champion relay squads.

Bradley has been named NJCAA Coach of the Year four times (Men — 2007, 2008; Women — 2009, 2010) and the women’s team has earned the Skull Award, an honor given to the Indian River team with the highest grade-point average, three times.

Prior to joining Indian River, Bradley served as an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina from 1999-2005. While with the Gamecocks, Bradley coached athletes such as 2000 SEC Swimmer of the Year Zsolt Gaspar, who went on to capture the 2000 NCAA title in the 100 fly.

Bradley also guided the Gamecocks to 26 All-America honors, 34 school records and three SEC individual titles.

Bradley is a 1997 graduate of Florida State University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in social science and was a four-year letterwinner for the Seminole swimming team. In 1995, Bradley won the Atlantic Coast Conference title in the 200 individual medley for the Seminoles.

Following graduation, Bradley served as graduate assistant for the Florida State swimming team from 1997-1999. Bradley, a native of Woodbury, N.J., and his wife Susan have two daughters, Grace and Paige.