With its postseason hopes hanging by a thread after a pair of losses last week, Auburn basketball is in desperate need of a strong finish to the season, beginning with a Tuesday night tilt against LSU at Neville Arena.
"We're still in control of our own destiny," said Auburn head coach Steven Pearl. "If you win these next two, you're probably in. We've got to do everything we can to beat LSU. Through all the difficulty and all the struggles, we're still in position to make the tournament."
Auburn will honor four graduating seniors in Keyshawn Hall, KeShawn Murphy, Reed Trapp and CJ Williams.
"Really hoping we can send those two guys out on a strong note," Pearl said.
Auburn has dropped seven of its last eight games, but has played the most Quad I games in the country and boasts the nation's No. 1 strength of schedule with wins over Florida, St. John's, Arkansas and NC State keeping it in contention as Selection Sunday approaches.
"We showed a lot of film of those games yesterday," said Pearl. "Our guys have to find a way to harness that and continue to believe. We know it's there. We've got to find a way to stay locked in and stay consistent with what we're doing."
Auburn has won four straight against LSU and eight of the last 10 meetings. The Bayou Bengals sit at the bottom of the conference standings, tied with South Carolina, owning a 3-13 mark in league play.
But two of LSU's three wins have come in overtime on the road.
Auburn sits at 346th nationally in 3-point defense, allowing a 37.1% clip from deep per game, and must contend with LSU's Max Mackinnon, who paces the visiting Tigers with 15.5 points per game and a 39.2% clip from deep.
"They're a team that's still playing with a lot of confidence and energy," Pearl said. "We've got to play with purpose tomorrow night in order to beat them."
Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. on the SEC Network.
"We still have a chance to do everything we want to accomplish, as crazy as that continues to sound at 15-14," said Pearl. "We played the schedule we've played so we could put ourselves in position to still be able to get into the tournament if you're able to win some of those games."
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