If you played as many freshmen as Auburn has all winter long, by a mid-February road trip to Arkansas you might be curled up in a fetal position in the dark, too.

But it wasn't CFS (cumulative freshman syndrome), Jeff Lebo says. He swears it was the flu.

At any rate, while his Tiger cubs were losing 84-64 at Arkansas on Saturday, Lebo was laid out in a training room at Bud Walton Arena.

"With the door shut and the lights off, sweating,'' Lebo said Monday. "Fever, chills, aches, pains, all that stuff.

"The only thing I got was the halftime score and the score at the end.''

Assistant coach John Cooper took charge of the team, which kept its SEC road record spotless in a dubious sort of way.

Lebo expects to be back on his feet when Auburn (10-11, 2-8 SEC) comes to Thompson-Boling Arena on Wednesday night.

A branch on the North Carolina family tree, Lee proved he could coach at Tennessee Tech and Chattanooga. Had timing been a little different, he might have had a shot with the Vols by now.

His two years at Auburn have been difficult, as a 24-28 record suggests. Due to unusual attrition, he has yet to play with a full deck.

Lebo's maiden voyage produced 14 wins with a roster devoid of post players. He lost three starters and then a fourth when star freshman Toney Douglas took his 16.9 scoring average and transferred to Florida State.

In Year Two, five freshmen play prominent roles. Four are starting. One, point guard Quantez Robertson didn't sign until July. Now he's averaging 35 minutes a game.

Forward Korvotney Barber, a McDonald's All-American, picked Auburn over Kentucky. Another forward, Josh Dollard, averages 9.0 points a game, second-best among the freshmen to guard Rasheed Barrett's 11.1.

While UT fans recall Joey Cameron, they probably won't see much of him Wednesday. Cameron committed to Buzz Peterson, then bailed out and signed at Auburn last November.

Cameron started 12 games but his minutes have dwindled. He's averaging 1.9 points a game.

Lebo said the freshmen are improving by fits and starts.

"The problem,'' he said, "is we've got so many on the court. It's not like you've got one out there with a bunch of veterans to absorb the mistakes.''

Bubble Watch: Tennessee, Florida and LSU are the only SEC teams not sweating an NCAA tournament bid. Ruling out Auburn, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, that leaves six squirming on the bubble for two, perhaps three more bids.

Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology report for ESPN.com projects Alabama, Arkansas and Kentucky getting in, with Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Georgia waiting on an NIT phone call.

Alabama's best credential is a 7-3 SEC record. The Crimson Tide is 6-0 in league games decided by six or fewer points.

"Being a good foul-shooting team helps,'' said coach Mark Gottfried. "Sometimes it's just being fortunate, too.''

Arkansas (16-7, No. 66 RPI) has been the anti-Alabama. The Razorbacks' five SEC losses are by a combined 13 points.

"I tell the team things are still in our hands,'' said coach Stan Heath. "That's a general way to say, 'Don't think that because you lost a tough game it's over,' because it's not.''

Kentucky (15-9, No. 44 RPI) is fading fast. The Wildcats are 5-5 in SEC play for the first time in 16 years. Lexington Herald-Leader columnist John Clay says it's the first time since 1971 that Western Kentucky, not Kentucky or Louisville, is the state's best team.

Vanderbilt (13-8, No. 58 RPI) kept its sagging hopes alive with a win over Kentucky on Saturday. Beating Florida on Wednesday would be even bigger.

South Carolina (13-10, No. 52 RPI) is playing better than its record indicates, but needs a huge SEC finish.

"One of my biggest disappointments,'' said South Carolina coach Dave Odom, "is we didn't make a bigger mark with the some of the opportunities of teams we had of a more national caliber, Marquette, Pittsburgh and Clemson, not being able to notch one or two of those on your belt.''

Georgia (14-9, No. 81 RPI) has the steepest mountain to climb.

"I think it would be nothing short of miraculous,'' said Georgia coach Dennis Felton.

He's right.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.