#pairing ✵ samir and reggie

[catastrophicxfailure]

closed for ✵ @virtueofsanityx

setting ✵ fire station toy drive.

muses ✵ samir persaud and reggie lopez.

His arms were piled high with more toys than he would ever know what to do with. Packaged dolls and action figures and little baby rattles, all purchased that day in the name of helping out the less fortunate. That was it, of course. It was all for charity — and definitely not for the man who he found standing behind the front desk as he wobbled his way into the station on yet another delivery for their Christmas Toy Drive. His cheeks flushed as they made eye contact from behind the stack of gifts and he would go to his grave blaming it on the transition from the frosted winter winds on the outside to the warmth of the station inside.

“Hi, uh, I’ve got some donations for the drive.”

[ameliathefatcat]

Random Hogwarts Mystery Headcanons because I have a lot of Ideas

Badeea Ali has really bad environmental allergies. She has to take allergy potions before Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology

Skye Parkin has a nut allergy and didn’t realize for way to long she just thought nuts were spicy

Ben Copper and Jae Kim are lactose intolerant

Badeea has undiagnosed autism, she’s an 80’s kid and the child of immigrants.

Badeea was the first in her family to be born outside of Egypt, her father immigranted when her half brothers were small and her mother immigranted as a young woman

Tulip is the heaviest sleeper ever. Charlie Mosley and Badeea have to flip over her mattress to wake her up when she over sleeps

She sleeps through that as well

Barnaby is epileptic due to a TBI he got as a child

He mostly has absence seizures, once or twice a year he might have a tonic-clonic seizure

He keeps this a secret, since he’s embarrassed of having brain damage

Chiara is the only one that knows he’s epileptic and she helps him when he has a seizure

Reggie Tonks (Nyphmadora’s younger brother) actually became friends with Ismelda Murk due to both of them being a bit satanic

Reggie loves to test out his new spells and Ismelda likes to cause pain so she helps him get victims test subjects

Reggie is also friends with Badeea since both like to invite new spells

Tonks doesn’t get it. She loves her little brother but doesn’t understand why people in her year are friends with him

Tonks is very protective of her little brother

Diego Caplan teases Amelia and Ben for being Ashkenazi

Diego is Sephardic btw

When Amelia and Diego are on patrol together they joke around and argue about Jewish stuff

The other Prefects, Barnaby, Liz, Badeea, Andre, Penny and Charlie are confused about this and when Amelia said ‘a good amount of our culture is arguing’

Tonks is not trust with sharp objects

Ben and Badeea both became Uncle/Aunt while at Hogwarts

Andre does drag

Talbott finds this hot and annoying since Andre is a horrible singer

Ben’s family really loves Amelia. She was invited to his second sister Rina’s wedding

Orion is a stoner

He also doesn’t shower that much

He has horrible BO

Skye has a pair of lucky socks are that are super smelly

Rath sweats a lot and uses so much deodorant to deal with BO

When Badeea sees the name ‘Khalid Ali’ in the news paper she hopes it a different Khalid Ali and not her half brother. It’s often her half brother

Andre was once reading an international wizarding newspaper and the headline was ‘British-Egyptian wizard in Cairo. Badeea knew instantly it was her half brother

More about Badeea’s half brothers when they were at Hogwarts they anglicized their names Samir went by Sam and Khalid went by Kenny. Khalid is called Kenny by most of his friends but didn’t legally change his name because it was too much work

Badeea does technically have an anglicized nickname, B. She’s mostly called this by the other Ravenclaws.

Amelia and Badeea bond over the fact both of them don’t speak English at home.

Khalid was friends with both Duncan and Jacob but he no interest in the cursed vaults

Barnaby, Liz, Diego, Penny, Andre, Badeea, Charlie and Amelia took a Prefect photo and re take it at their reunions

Murphy and Rath are constantly on and off dating

[auburnfamilynews]

Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Auburn’s tough stretch continues tonight in Fayetteville!

Date: Tuesday February 4th

Opponent: Arkansas Razorbacks

Location: Bud Walton Arena - Fayetteville, Arkansas

Time: 6PM

Network: SEC Network, Auburn Radio Network

Auburn is in the middle of a tough 4 game stretch against teams all ranked in the Top 45 of the NET Rankings. Auburn picked up their best win of the season knocking off Kentucky at home to kick off this 4 game stretch. Tonight is their lone road game of this stretch and it’s against a team and a program who has been rejuvenated this season.

Tonight will be the first time Bruce Pearl faces off with Eric Musselman as Auburn heads to Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks. Musselman has done wonders in his 1st year in Fayetteville, not only on the court but off the court as well. His immediate connection to fans around the state, plus locking down most of the top High School talent in the state to become future Hogs suddenly has put the Arkansas program back on the rise in the SEC.

Get to Know Arkansas

Tonight is a huge game for Arkansas as they come into tonight’s game at 16-5 (4-4 in the SEC). But like Auburn on Saturday, this team needs a signature win and can get one tonight. Their best wins so far are at Indiana and against Tulsa but 3 of their 4 SEC wins are against Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. They come into tonight’s game off a win in Tuscaloosa against Alabama so they have some momentum coming into tonight’s contest. As a team, the Hogs average 74.6 PPG while giving up just 64.6 PPG.

Junior Guard Mason Jones (#15) - 19.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.5 APG

The biggest reason for the Hogs success this year has been the emergence of their guard play, led by Mason Jones. When Daniel Gafford left for the NBA, Joe was expected to take over the leading scorer role. Joe has had a great year but Jones, has become a star for this Razorbacks squad.

Jones leads the SEC in scoring, has been SEC Player of the Week 3 times (including last week) and leads the Hogs in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks per game. He plays multiple positions on the floor, including time at point guard. He’s a 34.2% 3-point shooter and has scored 34 and 30 in his last 2 games, the first time an Arkansas player has scored 30 in consecutive games done that in 18 years. Jones has 4 games this year where he has scored at least 30 including a 41 point performance against Tulsa. Jones also gets to the free throw line at a high rate. Auburn shot 44 free throws against Kentucky. That’s the number of free throws Mason Jones has attempted in the last 3 games (he’s made 31 of them). I would expect to see Isaac Okoro and Samir Doughty get the bulk of the defensive assignment on him and this could be a good/bad night for the IOE (Isaac Okoro Effect). Here’s Eric Musselman talking about Mason’s emergence this season.

Mason Jones is the only player in the SEC to have earned Player of the Week honors three times this season. Jones leads the SEC in scoring with 19.8 ppg and leads Arkansas in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals. What Muss had to say on the difference Jones has made: pic.twitter.com/E657F67duk

— Clara Goodwin (@5NEWSClara) February 3, 2020

Sophomore Guard Isaiah Joe (#1) - 16 PPG, 4.3 RPG

Joe is questionable with a knee injury and we’ll see if he is able to play tonight. He was scoreless in 21 minutes of action against Alabama. Joe is a big piece on this team which makes their win on Saturday even more impressive. Joe is a high-volume 3-point shooter, averaging 10.6 attempts a game. Saturday’s game was the first time all year he had taken less than 6 3-point attempts (he took 3). He’s a 34% 3-point shooter (72-212) this season and 76.3% of his shots come from long range.

Senior Guard Jimmy Whitt Jr. (#33) - 15.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG

Whitt has an interesting story. He began his college career at Arkansas before transferring to SMU after his freshman season. He played 2 years there before transferring back to Arkansas for his senior season. I’m having a hard time recalling ever seeing that before but nevertheless, Whitt has flourished this season providing Arkansas with another scorer. While listed as a guard, he has only attempted 1 3-pointer this season. With Joe injured, Whitt had 26 points in the Alabama game on Saturday and is capable to score 25-30. With Auburn giving up big numbers to team’s secondary leading scorers this year, Whitt might be the guy to keep an eye on, especially with Isaiah Joe not at 100%.

Sophomore Guard Desi Sills (#3) - 9.5 PPG

Sills is another guy that will be asked to do more this evening and he has the ability to score 20, as he did earlier this year at Western Kentucky where he tied his season-high making 3 3-pointers.

Senior Forward Adrio Bailey (#2) - 6 PPG, 4.5 RPG

Bailey rounds out the starting 5 for the Razorbacks. He played just 6 minutes in Tuscaloosa and didn’t score and Coach Musselman is looking for more out of his big man.

Muss on Adrio Bailey: "He played so well early in the year. We need him to get back to that spot where's he's playing well (every day)… He's a guy who attracts good vibes, and when he's playing well his energy is infectious."

— Kelli Stacy (@Kelli_Stacy_) February 3, 2020

Arkansas only goes about 7-8 deep with primarily Jalen Harris and Reggie Chaney coming off the bench.

Keys for Auburn

You may have noticed above that nearly everyone I listed above is a guard. Arkansas has a shortage of big men and this is a favorable matchup for Austin Wiley and Anfernee McLemore. Wiley had a great game against Kentucky going for 12 points and 10 rebounds and doing an effective job slowing down Nick Richards. McLemore also had his part in slowing down Richards and Auburn could use some of Mac’s 3-point shooting we saw in Oxford last week.

Isaac Okoro took the Kentucky game over late and personally, I hope we see more of that coming down the stretch. With about 7 minutes to go, Okoro had just 3 points but finished the game by making a pair of 3s and getting to the free throw line. With Arkansas struggling with depth, this is another game in which Auburn would be wise to get the ball in the paint and draw fouls. It worked well against Kentucky.

From a guard perspective, we’ll see how J’Von McCormick and Samir Doughty fare against Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe. McCormick had 9 turnovers last Tuesday against Ole Miss and will need to protect the ball much better tonight. Doughty had 23 against Kentucky, including 16 of Auburn’s first 21 to keep the Tigers afloat in the 1st half. In 4 SEC road games, Doughty is shooting 3-20 from 3-point range and Auburn needs to be able to make some 3s if they want to get out of Fayetteville with a W.

Prediction

As of this writing (late Monday night), Auburn is a slight underdog going into this game. This is an important game for both teams, especially Arkansas as they look for a signature win. For Auburn, this win would further validate their win over Kentucky and would set them up well for a showdown with #18 LSU on Saturday. In addition, this will be one of the toughest SEC road environments Auburn faces all year as Bud Walton will be rocking. If Auburn can assert their will in the paint, I think the Tigers get the job done. If Auburn’s big men struggle, Arkansas will get that signature win they need.

Auburn 79 Arkansas 76

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/2/4/21121917/11-auburn-at-arkansas-game-preview-and-open-thread

[junker-town]

SEC college basketball teams, ranked for the 2019-2020 season

Football will always be king in the Southeastern Conference, but the basketball ain’t bad either.

After much speculation over the timeframe for this period’s arrival, the days of the SEC being the ultimate also-ran in college basketball’s power conference tier appear to have finally come and gone. Last spring the league produced at least one Final Four team for the fourth time in the last six years, made up 25 percent of the Sweet 16, and then followed up that successful tournament showing by bringing in three of the highest-profile coaching hires in the sport.

The conference’s climb into the conversation with the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten figures to continue in 2019-20. Multiple teams at the top of the SEC food chain appear fully capable of winning a national title, and it wouldn’t be a total shock if more than half of the league earned at-large bids on Selection Sunday.

Let’s run through the current hierarchy of the league as we inch closer to the season tipping off in November.

14. VANDERBILT COMMODORES

2018-19 Record: (9-23, 0-18)

2018-19 SEC Finish: 14th

The good news about being the only team in the history of the SEC to go 0-18 in league play (0-19 if you count the conference tournament) is that new head coach Jerry Stackhouse is kicking things off with the lowest possible bar to clear. He’ll rely heavily on a pair of returning double-digit scorers in Saben Lee (12.7 ppg) and Aaron Nesmith (11.0 ppg) to get the ball rolling in Nashville.

Things should get easier for Stackhouse after year one. Vandy is a top contender to land multiple top 100 players in the 2020 class, and Stackhouse has already added a pair of key transfers in D.J. Harvey from Notre Dame and Quentin Millora-Brown, who set program records for field goal percentage and blocked shots by a freshman in his one season at Rice. Both players will be eligible to suit up for the Commodores in 2020-21.

13. MISSOURI TIGERS

2018-19 Record: (15-17, 5-13)

2018-19 SEC Finish: 12th

It’s Cuonzo Martin’s third season at Missouri, which matches the amount of time he spent at each of his prior three head coaching gigs — Missouri State, Tennessee and California. To date, stint four for Martin has been defined by what might have been. A rash of injuries — most notably to brothers Michael and Jontay Porter in consecutive seasons — have derailed any hopes Tiger fans may have had about capturing real magic for the first time since the program joined the SEC in 2012.

Missouri’s size, most notably in the form of enigmatic junior Jeremiah Tilmon, will make it a matchup problem for multiple teams in the conference. Even so, Martin doesn’t have a roster that appears capable of threatening to take the Tigers to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years.

12. TEXAS A&M AGGIES

2018-19 Record: (14-18, 6-12)

2018-19 SEC Finish: 11th

In a move that would have been a national surprise if not for the man making it, Buzz Williams left a Virginia Tech program that he had brought to arguably its most solid footing in program history to take over Texas A&M a year after the Aggies finished with an overall record four games below .500. This move came just six years after Williams left Marquette, fresh off three trips to the Sweet 16 in four years, to head up the Hokies, who had been to just one Sweet 16 ever. Williams’ first season in Blacksburg saw Tech go 2-16 in league play and finish dead last in the Sweet 16. A year later they won 20 games. A year after that they were in the NCAA tournament. Last March they came a missed uncontested layup away from upsetting No. 1 overall seed Duke and playing Michigan State for the East Region title.

Williams hopes the start won’t be quite as slow in College Station, but the groundwork for a similar progression certainly seems to be in place. Convincing Savion Flagg to come back was huge, but losing Admon Gilder to Gonzaga left Williams with a wildly uncertain backcourt. The Aggies will return to the NCAA tournament in short order under Williams, they just won’t do it in year one.

11. SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS

2018-19 Record: (16-16, 11-7)

2018-19 SEC Finish: T-4th

South Carolina has been anything but predictable under Frank Martin. Four seasons ago, the Gamecocks started 15-0 and still ended in the NIT. A year later, Martin and company turned a good, not great regular season into one of the more improbable Final Four runs in recent memory. Last season, USC was a dismal 5-7 in non-conference play, only to turn around and win 11 SEC games and finish alone in fourth place in the final league standings.

The point is, who knows what to expect from South Carolina. Martin has a solid young nucleus of talent to build around moving forward, but at the moment, replacing leading scorer and 2018-29 SEC defensive player of the year Chris Silva seems like an awfully tall task.

10. GEORGIA BULLDOGS

2018-19 Record: (11-21, 2-16)

2018-19 SEC Finish: 13th

There appears on paper to be a pretty noticeable gap between the bottom four in this league and the top ten, making this perhaps the least enviable spot in these rankings. The ten best teams in this conference all should be fully capable of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, and Georgia is no different. But someone has to go here, and the Bulldogs are the most difficult group of the nominees to pin down.

Five-star freshman guard Anthony Edwards is the type of talent Georgia basketball fans haven’t been privy to in a long time. Edwards will make the Bulldogs appointment television, but the question is whether or not Tom Crean can find enough quality pieces to put around the one-and-done talent — especially in the post — to make UGA a viable threat to finish in the top half of the league.

9. ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS

2018-19 Record: (18-16, 8-10)

2018-19 SEC Finish: T-9th

The Razorbacks are going to be everyone’s sleeper pick in the SEC, and it isn’t difficult to understand why. Eric Musselman arrives in Fayetteville after an overwhelmingly successful run at Nevada, and inherits a roster that should be able to play to his style pretty quickly. Daniel Gafford is gone to the NBA, but the guard tandem of Isaiah Joe (13.9 ppg) and Mason Joe (13.6 ppg) have the potential to flourish under Muss. The addition of SMU grad transfer Jimmy Whitt (12.3 ppg/4.0 apg) should also be a blessing. Combatting quality size could be an issue on some nights, but don’t be shocked at all if the Razorbacks pull multiple upsets over the three best teams in the league and are right there in the mix for an NCAA at-large bid deep into February.

8. MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS

2018-19 Record: (23-11, 10-8)

2018-19 SEC Finish: T-6th

Bulldog fans aren’t going to like this, but someone in this league is going to have to underachieve. We’ll go with the team that will have to be heavily reliant on a player who was suspended for the last month of the 2018-19 season. Nick Weatherspoon’s sophomore season ended with him being sidelined for an undisclosed violation of team rules. He worked himself back into Ben Howland’s good graces and will now be asked to shoulder a decent chunk of the offensive workload his brother, Quinndary, left behind. Second-leading scorer Lamar Peters is also gone, which means Nick Weatherspoon, senior point guard Tyson Carter (10.4 ppg) and big man Reggie Perry — who flirted with an early exit to the NBA — are all going to need to produce their best collegiate seasons to date.

7. OLE MISS REBELS

2018-19 Record: (20-13, 11-5)

2018-19 SEC Finish: T-6th

There may not have been a head coach in college basketball who had a better first year at a new gig than Kermit Davis did at Ole Miss in 2018-19. The Rebels won 20 games, were near the top of the SEC standings from the start of conference play to the end, and made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2015 in a year where no one had predicted such an accomplishment.

An adequate second act is the new task for Davis, and thankfully he has the SEC’s leading returning scorer to assist him. Breein Tyree (17.9 ppg) is the 2018-19 First Team All-SEC honoree who’s back in college for another round. Devontae Shuler (10.3 ppg) and Blake Hinson (8.3 ppg) are also back after solid seasons, but it might be the play of a pair of JuCo transfers — Bryce Williams and Khadim Sy — that determines whether or not the Rebels are able to equal or surpass last season’s accomplishments.

6. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

2018-19 Record: (31-6, 15-3)

2018-19 SEC Finish: T-2nd

The Willams/Schofield era has come and come, and the fact that it didn’t end with Tennessee’s first trip to the Final Four is still very much a bitter pill to swallow in Knoxville. Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden are too talented to let the Vols fall off the face of the college basketball earth, but it’d be foolish to not expect a sizable step backwards in 2019-20. That step could be smaller if intriguing Frenchman Yves Pons can realize his potential and allow his teammates to play through him in something resembling the fashion they played through Williams.

5. AUBURN TIGERS

2018-19 Record: (30-10, 11-7)

2018-19 SEC Finish: T-4th

Jared Harper and Chuma Okeke leaving early for the NBA pushed the Tigers out of everyone’s early top 10 rankings and seemingly tanked any shot Bruce Pearl had at a repeat trip to the Final Four. Pearl still has tools in the form of Samir Doughty, Austin Wiley, J’Von McCormick and Anfernee McLemore, but those pieces aren’t exactly a perfect fit for the run-and-gun mentality the Tigers carried all the way to Minneapolis last spring.

Pearl has said this summer that he expects Auburn to go from one of the fastest-paced teams in college basketball to a “normal pace” team this season. That adjustment could explain why the Tigers have a non-conference schedule that shouldn’t provide them with much of a challenge until deep into December.

4. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

2018-19 Record: (18-16, 8-10)

2018-19 SEC Finish: T-9th

The stage is set for Nate Oats to make the biggest splash of any first-year head coach in college basketball. Getting Kira Lewis Jr. to return to Tuscaloosa was Oats’ first major win after getting in from Buffalo, but it figures to be far from his last. He inherits a roster loaded with experienced talent. Lewis, John Petty, Herbert Jones and Galin Smith have all accumulated both experience and production in their college careers. Toss in one of the best grad transfers in the country in James “Beetle” Bolden (West Virginia) and there’s no reason for the Crimson Tide not to hit the ground running under their new leadership.

3. LSU TIGERS

2018-19 Record: (28-7, 16-2)

2018-19 SEC Finish: 1st

It’s still hard to know what exactly to do with LSU. Seven months ago, you could have made a small fortune if you found someone to give you odds on the likelihood of Will Wade and Javonte Smart both still being in Baton Rouge for the 2019-20 season. And yet, here we are.

Despite everything — including being suspended for his team’s run to the Sweet 16 last March — Wade is set to be back on the sidelines inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center this winter, and he should have one hell of a squad following his directions. In addition to Smart, Wade also returns key contributors in the form of Skylar Mays (13.4 ppg), Emmitt Williams (7.0 ppg/5.4 rpg) and Marlon Taylor (6.7 ppg). If that weren’t enough, he went out and landed a five-star talent in the form of Trendon Watford, who figures to be a star in Baton Rouge from day one.

The outside “noise” might be the only thing capable of keeping LSU from a return trip to the tournament’s second weekend ... and that noise may have to go from loud to deafening in order to do the trick.

2. FLORIDA GATORS

2018-19 Record: (20-16, 9-9)

2018-19 SEC Finish: 8th

With Andrew Nembhard returning to school and five-star freshmen Scottie Lewis and Tre Mann joining the fold, Florida already looked like a top contender for the SEC throne heading into the summer. Then Kerry Blackshear, the most highly sought-after grad transfer on the market, announced he was heading to Gainesville. Suddenly, Mike White had a roster capable of winning not just the SEC, but the national title.

The only reason to pump the brakes on the Gators being a legit top 10 team nationally is the program’s befuddling recent history of not being able to turn talented pieces into a successful whole. White’s most recent team had absolutely no business losing 16 games, and yet, that’s exactly what they did. So long as UF can avoid the “mysterious slump” bug that has bitten it a couple of times over the last few years, this should be White’s strongest Gator squad to date.

1. KENTUCKY WILDCATS

2018-19 Record: (30-7, 15-3)

2018-19 SEC Finish: T-2nd

I don’t need to tell you the drill here. Kentucky is loaded with young talent (Tyrese Maxey and Kahlil Whitney both have the potential to be lottery picks) and a smattering of returning players who seem to possess the ability to take another sizable step forward. Getting point guard Ashton Hagans to return for his sophomore season was a monster win for John Calipari. The Wildcats didn’t really hit their stride until Hagans assumed the reigns of the offense. Once that happened, UK transitioned from apparent underachiever to a 2-seed that came one shot away from a trip to the Final Four.

With P.J. Washington gone, the questions about this Kentucky team are all going to understandably revolve around the front-court. E.J. Montgomery was actually one spot ahead of Zion Williamson in 247 Sports’ final class of 2018 rankings. He fell far short of that lofty billing in his first college season, averaging just 3.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest. With Calipari losing out on 5-star big man N’Faly Dante to Oregon, the pressure is on either Montgomery or junior Nick Richards to step up their production significantly and become a serious threat in the post. Kentucky will be very good even if that doesn’t happen, but it’s hard to see them being national championship good.

Previously:

Big East Pac-12 Big 12

[auburnfamilynews]

Julie Bennett-USA TODAY Sports

Auburn’s SEC Schedule is (finally) here!

We are 8 weeks away from the beginning of College Basketball season. Now, you can start making your calendars for when Auburn Basketball will take the court this season.

The SEC released the schedule today for the 2020 season. In SEC play, the Tigers will play:

Home & Away: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee

Home Only: LSU, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt

Away Only: Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi State, Missouri

Auburn released their non-conference schedule back on August 1st.

Auburn will appear on CBS 3 times in SEC play and will start on the road in the state of Mississippi once again this season.

Saturday January 4th - at Mississippi State

Time: 3:30PM

Network: SEC Network

League play starts on the first Saturday in 2020 in Starkville. The Bulldogs will have to replace Quinndary Weatherspoon who averaged 18.5 points a game last year along with Lamar Peters and Aric Holman. Guards Tyson Carter and Reggie Perry do return for Ben Howland’s group this year.

Wednesday January 8th - Vanderbilt

Time: 8:00PM

Network: SEC Network

Jerry Stackhouse will visit the Jungle for the first time as a head coach for the Commodores as Vandy will be Auburn’s SEC home opener this year on Wednesday January 8th. Saben Lee and Aaron Nesmith return for Vanderbilt and this year’s roster also features the son of NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, Scotty Pippen Jr., a talented freshman out of the prestigious Sierra Canyon High School in California. Vanderbilt has nowhere to go but up after going winless in the SEC last year, something that hadn’t been done by anyone since Georgia Tech did it in the 1953-1954 season.

Saturday January 11th - Georgia

Time: 5:00PM

Network: ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU

As Auburn has traditionally done the last few years, they will host Georgia early in league play, this time on Saturday January 11th. Georgia has one of the top recruits in the country in Anthony Edwards and this will likely be the only time you see him play in Auburn as he looks to be a 1-and-done player. While Nicolas Claxton left early for the NBA, expect Tom Crean’s Georgia team to be much better in Year 2 compared to Year 1.

This next week will be one of the toughest weeks on the calendar as Auburn.

Wednesday January 15th - at Alabama

Time: 8:00PM

Network: ESPN2/ESPNU

Bruce Pearl vs. Nate Oats: Round 1. Oats did well in convincing Kira Lewis Jr, John Petty and others to remain in Tuscaloosa for the upcoming season. They add talented transfer guards in James Bolden from West Virginia and (if deemed eligible) Jahvon Quinerly from Villanova. Oats simultaneously coached at Buffalo while current Auburn Athletic Director Allen Greene held the AD position at Buffalo.

Saturday January 18th - at Florida

Time: 12:30PM

Network: CBS

Like I said, this to me is arguably the toughest week on Auburn’s SEC schedule. Partially because it’s 2 road games, but they’re likely facing 2 of the league’s Top 5-6 squads this week. Right now, Florida is my pick to win the SEC as Andrew Nembhard returns for his sophomore season. Florida also has a highly touted freshmen class but their biggest addition may be Kerry Blackshear Jr., a transfer from Virginia Tech, who was one of the most sought after graduate transfers available this offseason. The Gators are a popular Preseason Top 5 team under Mike White and Auburn has not won in Gainesville since 1996.

Wednesday January 22nd - South Carolina

Time: 6:00PM

Network: ESPN2/ESPNU

Chris Silva is no longer in Columbia which is good news for Auburn fans as Silva torched the Tigers throughout his illustrious career at South Carolina. A.J. Lawson returns for his sophomore season as South Carolina returns to Auburn for the first time since Bruce Pearl and the 2017-2018 Auburn team cut down the nets to celebrate their SEC Regular Season Championship.

Saturday January 25th - Iowa State (SEC/Big 12 Challenge)

Time: TBD

Network: ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU

While not an SEC game, this game falls in the middle of the league schedule and will be the first time in 4 years that Auburn has hosted the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The Cyclones will feature guard Tyrese Haliburton and be another team on this year’s schedule that played in the NCAA Tournament last year.

Tuesday January 28th - at Ole Miss

Time: 8:00PM

Network: ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU

Auburn returns to the Magnolia State for the first of 2 games with Ole Miss on January 28th. Ole Miss surprised many last year going to the NCAA Tournament in Kermit Davis first year in Oxford. Terence Davis has graduated but Breein Tyree and Devontae Shuler return for the Rebels.

Saturday February 1st - Kentucky

Time: 5:00PM OR 7:00PM

Network: ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU

Auburn will host Kentucky for the 3rd straight year and 2nd straight year on a Saturday. There’s absolutely no excuse for Auburn Arena to not be jammed pack for this one. These teams will meet for the first time since...

I imagine we’ll hear about that game a time or two on the broadcast. Perhaps a College Gameday visit for the first time?

Anyways, Ashton Hagans, E.J. Montgomery, Nick Richards and Immanuel Quickley are back for Kentucky while they bring in their annual highly regarded recruiting class featuring Tyrese Maxey, Kahlil Whitney, Keion Brooks and Johnny Juzang, all top 40 recruits. In addition, they got a graduate transfer from Bucknell in Center Nate Sestina.

In addition to the significance of the game on the court, this will also be a significant game in regards to recruiting as both Auburn and Kentucky are currently battling for the same recruits right now.

Tuesday February 4th - at Arkansas

Time: 6:00PM

Network: SEC Network

Auburn will then have to put the Kentucky game behind them and travel to Fayetteville and see new coach Eric Musselman for the first time. Daniel Gafford is gone but this year is Isaiah Joe’s team. Mason Harris also returns for the Razorbacks and we’ll see how Musselman does taking over for Mike Anderson.

Saturday February 8th - LSU

Time: 11:00AM

Network: ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU

Last year’s Regular Season SEC Champion LSU comes to Auburn this year. Auburn beat the Bayou Bengals, Will Wade’s first LSU team by 25 in Auburn 2 years ago. Auburn lost a heartbreaker in Baton Rouge last year 83-78. Tremont Waters and Naz Reid are gone but Javonte Smart, Skylar Mays and Marlon Taylor return. They also will feature Trendon Watford, a highly regarded freshmen from Alabama, who elected to leave home and play for LSU.

Wednesday February 12th - Alabama

Time: 6:00PM

Network: ESPN2/ESPNU

It’s a pair of midweek home games this year in the Auburn/Alabama series. In the last 3 years of this series in Auburn, the Tigers have won by 20, 19, and 21 points in those 3 games.

Saturday February 15th - at Missouri

Time: 5:00PM

Network: ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU

This will be Cuonzo Martin’s 3rd year at Mizzou and this year, they will have to replace Jordan Geist and Jontay Porter. Jeremiah Tilmon returns along with Mark Smith. In last year’s regular season meeting, Auburn recorded the largest margin of victory (34) over an SEC opponent since the opening of Auburn Arena. Auburn also ended Missouri’s season last year with their first of 4 wins in the SEC Tournament.

Wednesday February 19th - at Georgia

Time: 6:00PM

Network: ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU

Auburn returns to where the magic all started for last year’s team. A 3 point win over Georgia in Athens last year was the start of a 12 game win streak that catapulted Auburn into their 1st ever Final Four. Auburn has won in back to back years in Athens and 4 straight overall in the series. Auburn hasn’t won 3 straight in Athens since winning 5 straight times there from 1976-1980.

Saturday February 22nd - Tennessee

Time: 11:00AM

Network: CBS

Auburn will face Tennessee for the first time since the SEC Championship game inside Auburn Arena. Auburn will play Tennessee twice in the team’s final 5 games.

Tuesday February 25th - Ole Miss

Time: 6:00PM

Network: ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/SEC Network

This will be Auburn’s only Tuesday night home game in SEC play. Kermit Davis had Bruce Pearl’s number last year as Ole Miss won both games against the Tigers last year. Ole Miss held Auburn to their season low in points at home when they scored just 55 in a 60-55 loss last February 13th.

Saturday February 29th - at Kentucky

Time: 2:45PM

Network: CBS

1988.

That’s the last time Auburn won at Rupp Arena in Lexington. While Ole Miss held Auburn to their season low at home, Kentucky held Auburn to their lowest point total of the year in last year’s meeting at Rupp Arena, a 80-53 Kentucky win. That game served as a turning point for the team as they didn’t lose again until they got all the way to Minneapolis.

Wednesday March 4th - Texas A&M

Time: 6:00PM

Network: ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU

Austin Wiley, Anfernee McLemore, Samir Doughty, Danjel Purifoy and J’Von McCormick will all play their final home games in an Auburn uniform Wednesday March 4th against Texas A&M. Buzz Williams will make his Auburn Arena debut as the new coach of the Aggies. The last time these two played in Auburn was 2 years ago when the Aggies dealt Auburn their lone home loss of the 2017-2018 season.

Saturday March 7th - Tennessee

Time: 11:00AM

Network: ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU

For the 2nd straight year, Auburn will play Tennessee in their Regular Season finale. However, this time the game will be in Knoxville and I’ll be extremely interested to see what kind of reception Bruce Pearl gets there this time. A lot of things have changed since the Tigers got their first SEC win of the 2017-2018 season the last time these two teams met in Knoxville. Hopefully Auburn doesn’t have to wait another 20 years to win again in Knoxville as that was Auburn’s first win there since 1998.

With a roster and a schedule, now we can really begin the countdown to basketball season! It’s only 60 days away! War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/9/10/20852264/sec-basketball-schedule-released-an-early-analysis

[catastrophicxfailure]

The flush of the other's skin gives him a confidence that grows within seconds, now knowing that he might actually have a chance at this thing. It allows Sam to play off how he's truly feeling inside, heart thumping against his chest as though it would beat itself out of him at any moment. "Yeah, well, I didn't really know that at the time," He finally responds, a bit bashfully, with a shrug that attempts to convey a nonchalance that doesn't exist when his veins are a mixture of anxiety and excitement. A softly muttered thanks falls from his lips as he enters the coffee shop through the door held open by Reggie and it was his turn to flush at the action. After weeks of daydreaming while combing the aisles of toy stores or sanding down homemade rocking horses and little pull toys to donate to the fire station's toy drive, it was hard to believe that something was actually happening because of it. "Wait..." Samir trailed off, stopping suddenly and turning to the other with a faux-confused grin, "I thought this was already a date?"

basically emptied my bank acount just to catch a glimpse of you. it makes reggie blush so furiously that he's afraid he'll get lightheaded. his fingers flex in his jacket pockets before he pulls a hand out to lightly rub at the back of his neck. he wants to say something, something smooth and cool and that makes him absolutely worthy of something like that, but he can't seem to find the words. instead, just a little bit of a laugh slips out, awkward and a little manic, and he shakes his head. "you shouldn't be emptying your bank account just to see me. you can do that for free." it's about as smooth as he can manage to be.

the coffee shop isn't far from the station, and reggie makes sure to get to the door first, just so he can pull the door open and wave sam inside. "so, i guess i should, uhm... ask..." he's hesitating again, because he doesn't want to embarrass himself, but he knows, deep in his soul, that if he doesn't ask now, he'll stew on it all week. "if i described it as a date... the tree lighting, would that be okay? or is that... too much?"

[catastrophicxfailure]

There was a huge part of him that had hoped, suspected, but didn't try to assume. Sam wasn't someone that so readily made a fool out of himself and not knowing Reggie for long, what the man would be into wasn't something he was willing to take the gamble on without getting to know the other a little more — which was exactly what he was planning to do on their bagel-coffee date before the admission, or what felt like reassurance to Samir, fell from the other's lips. "Oh." The only word that fell from his mouth, as though he were a fish that flopped too close to dry land. Oh. What an idiot. He was scrambling for what to say that didn't involve embarrassing himself so bad he'd never be able to show his face around town anymore. How was he supposed to say 'wow I'm totally into you and I was only donating so many toys to charity because I wanted to see you' without sounding like a total creep?

The back of his neck was hot and slightly sweaty beneath the collar of his coat and he shifted uncomfortably at the feeling as they walked. "No, it's... it's not that," He attempted to salvage, though it was slow going at first. "I... do want to hang out with you and I'd love to go to the tree lighting with you." If he was sure of anything, it was that he was likely to explode before he actually managed to ask the other man on a proper date. "Whoever said they didn't want to hang out with you when you were a teenager was garbage... and I can say that, I'm a trash collector." A soft chuckle fell from his lips as he bumped Reggie's shoulder. "I mean, I basically emptied my bank account to donate toys just to catch a glimpse of you."

"I think most of the girls in town know by now that they're not my type, actually." Might as well rip that bandaid off, just get it out there so that, at the very least, Sam knew. Because Reggie wasn't one to hide himself, not that part of himself, not anymore. He'd grown up in this town, he'd been a football star long before he'd become a firefighter, and he'd tried to pretend he was straight for most of his high school career before he'd simply given up on that, feeling terrible that the girls he was dating were essentially getting led on, acting as a beard for him when there was no reason to be ashamed. "Came out in senior year, actually. It was huge, the newspaper nearly ran a story on it before my sister waltzed down there and threw a whole fit about exploitation. But, uh... no one's knocking down my door for a date. Not since my ex moved away and we broke it off."

He felt hesitant, awkward. He wondered if Sam was going to quietly distance himself now that he knew, wondered if he was reading signals all wrong, if maybe the man truly was just altuistic and liked giving back to the community, and seeing Reggie was just an unfortunate side effect of that. His hands were curled into fists in his pockets, and he felt the need to quickly blurt. "It's cool if you don't, like... wanna hang out, now that you know. I, uh... it happened a lot when I was a teenager, I'm kind of used to it now. But you should definitely come. To the tree lighting. It's... it's way too pretty to miss and a really good community bonding thing. But, uh... I'm happy to hang with you at it, if you... if you're cool with that idea."

[catastrophicxfailure]

"They're definitely lucky to have you," Sam started, a little lamely. He was running out of things to say that didn't involve 'can I kiss your cute face?' and 'want to sleep over and look at the stars with me?' or other things that weren't exactly appropriate for someone's workplace or a community space or, well, really toward anyone who he hadn't even gone on a date with yet. Romance wasn't quite dead yet, but it was a difficult road to get there apparently when he was nothing but a chicken. He sucked in a breath, determined to actually speak up and say something, until Reggie started talking about his abuela and gloves and Sam found himself far more interested in learning about the other man instead.

"Oh, uh, just work gloves... you know, not exactly something I'd wear on a lunch date or anything." The date part of lunch date echoed in his ears and if it weren't for his beard covering just how red he had gotten or the fact that the other man was virtually the same shade, he was sure he would've walked away and pretended like this had never happened... and likely requested any other firefighter if he ever needed one. "I'm sure a pair of gloves from your abuela would be lovely," Samir finally quickly added, attempting to cover up his slip up, though things were about to get so much worse when Reggie asked if he was seeing someone. "I'm not!" His gaze darted to the man walking beside him and he knew immediately that his tone had been far more excited than it needed to be. So, he cleared his throat and tried again, "I mean, I'm not currently seeing anyone... or going to the tree lighting with anyone. Probably going solo if I don't find a project that needs my attention at home, but, uh, I'm sure you've got every girl in town knocking down your door for a date to it, huh?"

"truth is, they--" reggie started to spill, started to just outright say that his brothers knew he had a stupid schoolyard crush on sam, but that might have just been the perfect way to immediately end their lunch date-- date?-- and send him right back into separating toys for the rest of the day. which would have been fine, sure, he didn't mind working, but, well... "they definitely think i need to get out more. i've spent most of the last two weeks digging through toy bins and getting everything ready. but, ya know, someone needs to."

chuckling, reggie turned his shoulders into the wind, chuckling a little. "you have gloves? abuela's been knitting gloves like crazy lately, i'm sure she'd be happy to knit you a pair, too. gotta protect those hands, right? even if the cold doesn't bother you." his laugh was awkward, a hand coming up to rub lightly at the back of his neck, trying to rub some of the heat of blush off his skin. "are you-- uh-- are you seein' anyone? i mean.. got anyone to take to the town square tree lighting? big... big date night for everyone, right? i'm not... going with anyone, i mean. but it should be fun."

[catastrophicxfailure]

There was little ease he'd been feeling when he walked into the station for the umpteenth time with his arms full of toys he'd purchased just to maybe get a glance at the cute firefighter who worked there. He'd been uncharacteristically nervous, his heart beating solidly in his chest, as though he'd never flirted or asked someone out a day in his life — but this time felt different. Reggie was... unbelievably cute and essentially a hometown superhero, literally saving lives while all he did was pick up the community's trash every morning. And, to top it off, Sam had never been able to get a read on the other. Was he into men? Was he into him? Time after time, he'd taken the few minutes he had during drop off to observe, to attempt any sort of conversation with the man who had caught his eye. Maybe convincing his cat to get stuck in a tree would've yielded quicker results... until that day.

Cheeks flushed with heat as the words let's rock and roll fell from the other's lips, grabbing a nervous chuckle from his own as he ran his hand through his hair and promptly stuffed both of them in his coat pockets. "They really think you need to get out more, huh?" Samir joked, his head nodding in the direction of the other firemen, the man's coworkers who didn't waste a second before shoving a coat and keys in Reggie's direction. Opening the door for them both, he motioned the other outside before joining him. "Walking is good." A nod and a hope that the chill might calm the flush in his face. "I spend all morning outside, it doesn't bother me anymore."

"great!" enthusiasm was a little too high, he could practically feel his brothers behind him, laughing at him as he made an absolute fool of himself. "great." he repeated the word a little less loudly, feeling the way his cheeks flushed with color, flooded and surely made him look like a mess, and knowing full and well that he shouldn't have shaved that morning, at least the scruffy mess on his face would have hidden it a little. but no, of course, he was fresh faced and clean, the color of tomato sauce, and chewing on his lip to try and regain at least a little of the composure he had absolutely lost.

"let me just grab my ke--" reggie turned, ready to grab his keys and his jacket, and finding that one of the others already had them, shoving them into his arms and telling him to have fun and not rush back. he had been working pretty steadily at this, here every day for the toy drive, giving up his day off to make sure someone was there to organize. a break would be nice. "got 'em. did you wanna walk? i know it's cold out, but it's nice, sunny." moving out from behind the table, he tossed the leather jacket on, shifting and settling into it and shoving his hands into his pockets. "lets rock and roll."

[catastrophicxfailure]

He could repeat his sentiment of just doing it for the community, but every time he did, he felt a little worse about it. The community was important to him, they were people he saw every day during his trash routes, the neighbors that reached out to help his family however they could when he was growing up, and Samir definitely cared about them and often went out of his way to contribute back any way he could. Yet, this was a little more selfishly motivated than the action of donating to his community, and he knew if he kept receiving praise for it, he might as well just melt into the floor right then and there.

"Am I...?" Sam trailed off, taken off-guard by the other man asking if he was busy. Was he? His shift was over before the sun barely touched the sky that day, but he had been intending to work on some pieces in his barn later (admittedly, they may have been toys to bring back to the drive anyway). There was really no question about whether he was busy or not when it came to getting to spend more time with Reggie, regardless of what they were doing. "I'm not busy, no. And it turns out that I really like bagels too, especially when they do the color swirls in them. I've always thought that was cool..." He scratched at his beard for a second, wondering why he didn't bother to shut up after 'no I'm not busy'. A nervous chuckle fell from his lips. "Lunch and coffee sounds great, should we head out?"

reggie moved the bin away as soon as the toys were in it, passing it off to a coworker who was giving him a look that he most definitely did not like. there was no need for a look like that, one of those knowing little smirks that made reggie feel his cheeks warming up as uneven, splotchy patches of red and pick filled his cheeks in the most embarrassing blush of his life, but he did his best to ignore it, because he could absolutely pass it off. it was warm in the firehouse, trying to combat the cold air that kept trickling in from the door opening and closing.

as he turned back to sam, it struck him how close they were, and part of him wanted to take a step back and quickly apologize for invading his space, but something about that made him feel like it would just make things worse, more awkward, so he didn't move. just chuckled and reached a hand up to ruffle the back of his hair. "well, i'd say you're definitely top of the pack. to win it. someone should get you one of those medals, most generous man in town." cutest, too, but reggie wasn't going to say that out loud if his life depended on it.

"ah, yeah. it's going well, though we do have a batch of toys that, uhm... well the requirements were new and gently used, but i think this batch might be... not so gently used. i've been picking through it for over an hour, to be honest, and i just feel kind of... ick." a cough from behind him startled him, and he turned to see the coworker once again giving him a look. "i was thinking about taking a break, actually." he turned to look at sam again, that uneven blush returning to his face. "you busy? i need coffee and it's always fun to get coffee with someone else, right? maybe even lunch, or at least a bagel. i love bagels."

[catastrophicxfailure]

The sound of his name from the other man caused his chest to flip in a way that made him not quite sure if his heart was right side up anymore or simply face down in his chest in embarrassment and nerves instead. He’d been by almost every day with a handful of toys to toss in a similar bin the firefighter brought closer and Sammy knew it had to have become noticeable by now, right? Or maybe they really believed he was just that much of a generous person. Which… he was. He always tried to do his part, be a good neighbor, help out where he could, but he had to have bought half of the drive by now and as much good will as he had in his heart, it was starting to burn a hole in his very meager pocket at that point.

But what other excuse was he supposed to use to continue showing up to a fire department? He surely couldn’t admit that he kept showing up to see one particular firefighter as he continued his attempt at working up the nerve to ask the man out.

“Don’t mention it, it’s the least I can do for the community,” Samir offered in response, dangerously close to stumbling over his words at the close proximity he found between them after he’d managed to toss the toys into the bin. “And, I mean, gotta feel like I earned the calendar, right?” The calendar was… definitely a bonus to donating, of course. He’d snagged a peek of it during a previous visit and happened to turn directly to Reggie’s month. His cheeks lit up a bit more at the thought. “How has the drive been going? I could… always lend a hand if you guys need any extra.”

hey, your boy's back.

reggie had been elbow deep, quite literally, in a box of donations, sorting and separating, the questionable quality of some of the most recent donations in question and him the only one willing and able to do anything about it. the teasing words of his coworker startled him out of his laser focus long enough to look up and make eye contact with the man wobbling in with a stack of toys way too high to be even a little bit easy to carry.

"sam!" he was embarrassed of the excitement in his voice, sure, but quickly covered it up as he grabbed one of the empty bins from behind him and held it out so the man could lighten his load, a laugh escaping him in the process. "you've already donated, like, more than half of the toys in this drive, you must really wanna win that free fireman calendar." he thought it was silly to offer a prize for donating, the spirit of the action, the way it made people feel, that should be the prize, but reggie wasn't that naive to the world. "you know i could have probably just given you the one they'll give me when it comes out, right? i mean, i'm not gonna use a calendar that i'm in, that's just... too much ego. but thank you, genuinely, this is gonna mean a lot to some kids."

[catastrophicxfailure]

Samir had just been teasing when he mentioned their current situation being a date, but he was even more amused with how flustered the other man got, and the grin on his lips grew even more, his confidence no longer wavering now that he knew they were apparently on the same page. “Calm down, I was just kidding,” he reassured Reggie, a hand placed on his shoulder as they stepped into line to order. “I mean, not about the dating. I’d… actually really like to do that — go on dates with you. Including this one if that doesn’t totally freak you out.” It didn’t seem like it, based on the others questions about the tree lighting date and Sam reluctantly dropped his hand from the man’s shoulder and nodded. “Of course, yes to all of that. I’ll even make sure to conveniently forget my gloves so you’ll have to take my hand to warm it up.”

The flush of the other's skin gives him a confidence that grows within seconds, now knowing that he might actually have a chance at this thing. It allows Sam to play off how he's truly feeling inside, heart thumping against his chest as though it would beat itself out of him at any moment. "Yeah, well, I didn't really know that at the time," He finally responds, a bit bashfully, with a shrug that attempts to convey a nonchalance that doesn't exist when his veins are a mixture of anxiety and excitement. A softly muttered thanks falls from his lips as he enters the coffee shop through the door held open by Reggie and it was his turn to flush at the action. After weeks of daydreaming while combing the aisles of toy stores or sanding down homemade rocking horses and little pull toys to donate to the fire station's toy drive, it was hard to believe that something was actually happening because of it. "Wait..." Samir trailed off, stopping suddenly and turning to the other with a faux-confused grin, "I thought this was already a date?"