AUBURN, Ala. – After a frustrating February, Auburn still can experience the magic of March, if the Tigers recapture their winning ways in the last week of the regular season.
“We’re still in control of our own destiny,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “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.”
Against the country’s No. 1 strength of schedule, Auburn earned wins over what Pearl describes as “six teams that are locks to be in the NCAA Tournament”: No. 5 Florida, No. 18 St. John’s, No. 20 Arkansas, Kentucky, Texas and NC State.
“We showed a lot of film of those games yesterday,” Pearl said. “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 will honors its seniors Tuesday in what Pearl calls “Senior Late Night,” a reference to the 9 p.m. CT tip time, paying tribute to student managers Hayes Sampson, Thomas Palmer and Cole Koon, social media intern Josie Scalici, walk-ons Reed Trapp and CJ Williams, leading scorer Keyshawn Hall and KeShawn Murphy, the Tigers’ co-rebounding leader along with Hall.
“Really hoping we can send those two guys out on a strong note,” Pearl said of Hall and Murphy, while thanking the managers for their countless contributions. “Super appreciative of them and all their efforts.”
Two of LSU’s three SEC wins have come in overtime road games, at South Carolina and Ole Miss.
Max Mackinnon leads LSU in scoring with 15.5 points per game, making 39.2 percent of his 3-point attempts, a point of emphasis for Auburn.
“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.”
Seeking its fifth straight series win, Auburn (15-14, 6-10) hosts LSU (15-14, 3-13) Tuesday at 9 p.m. CT on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network, where Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will bring the action to listeners.
“We still have a chance to do everything we want to accomplish, as crazy as that continues to sound at 15-14,” Pearl said. “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.”
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer