Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - Auburn fired men's basketball coach Tony Barbee after Wednesday's loss to South Carolina in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
Barbee, hired in 2010 after leading UTEP to an NCAA Tournament berth, went 49-75 as coach of the Tigers, who never won more than six conference games in Barbee's tenure.
Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs informed Barbee of his decision at the team hotel after Wednesday's game and said he believes the program should be competing for championships.
"It's time for somebody else to have a turn," Jacobs said, according to the team's official website. "We need to find somebody to come in here and take what we have here now and put some more in and compete for SEC titles."
Barbee, 42, has a 131-127 overall record as coach of UTEP and Auburn. Jacobs said the search for a new coach would begin immediately.
