AUBURN, Ala. — The LSU men’s basketball team, guaranteed a regular season winning record, can gain the number four seed in the SEC Tournament and a guaranteed overall winning season if the Tigers can defeat Auburn Saturday at 1 p.m. at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.
There is no television for the regular season finale for both teams but the radio broadcast will be available in Louisiana on the LSU Sports Network and on the Internet at www.LSUsports.net.
LSU comes into the game 15-13, 5-10 in the SEC West after a 59-56 win Wednesday night at home over Ole Miss, while Auburn is already assured of the sixth seed in the West with a 12-14 and 4-11 in the league. LSU has the advantage in all tiebreakers and can finish no worse than fifth in the West.
The SEC Tournament begins on Thursday in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome and LSU would play at either Noon or 2:15 p.m. CST.
LSU, winners of three of its last five, will go with the lineup it has used since Collis Temple’s latest injury: Ronald Dupree, Jermaine Williams and Brad Bridgewater at forwards with Torris Bright and Antonio Hudson at guards. Dupree had 19 points in the win over Ole Miss, while Bright added 10 and Williams on Senior Night 13. Temple did not play against Ole Miss and has had his season ended to allow for surgery on the often injured ankle.
While LSU knows it will finish fourth or fifth, winning all ties with either Arkansas and/or Auburn, its opponent next Thursday still remains unclear as South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt are all tied at 6-9 in SEC play.
If all three teams remained tied after Saturday games, South Carolina will earn the East No. 4 seed based on their 3-1 head-to-head record versus the other two teams. Tennessee and Vanderbilt split their head-to-head series and Vanderbilt would get the No. 5 seed in the East based on their 4-6 division record. Tennessee would be the No. 6 East seed.
In the case of a two-team tie, Vanderbilt holds the tiebreaker edge over South Carolina (1-1 record versus Kentucky) and Tennessee (4-6 division record). South Carolina holds the tiebreaker over Tennessee (head-to-head sweep).
As of the start of play Saturday, the only two spots in the tournament definitely known are West 1 – Alabama and West 6 – Auburn.