NCAA Mens Basketball News

Auburn, Ala. — Ted Roof, a successful defensive coach at Georgia Tech who struggled as a head coach at Duke, was hired as defensive coordinator at Auburn by new coach Gene Chizik. The 45-year-old Roof spent last season as defensive coordinator at Minnesota, which improved from 119th nationally in total defense in 2007 to 79th. A linebacker for Georgia Tech in the 1980s, he spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Alabama, then served as an assistant at West Georgia and Duke. He joined the Georgia Tech staff in 1998 and became defensive coordinator in 1999. Ted has a wealth of experience and success as a defensive coach, and philosophically, we think alike, Chizik said. Ted took a Minnesota defense and made dramatic improvements in his one year as defensive coordinator. It was a defense that was very physical and aggressive and created a lot of turnovers.