After four seasons with the LSU basketball team, senior guard Andre Stringer has slightly more than a month to reach his first NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers haven’t been to the big dance since 2009 — a year before Stringer was on the team — and following five consecutive conference losses on the road, it isn’t looking like 2014 will be any different.
The Tigers have six regular season contests left to change the mind of the selection committee, starting with tonight’s home game against Mississippi State.
LSU’s RPI fell to No. 72 after an 81-70 loss at Arkansas on Saturday, putting them at sixth in the SEC, and in his latest Bracketology ratings, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Tigers in his “next four out” category.
Stringer described the process of outsiders making judgments about LSU’s capabilities as frustrating.
“Obviously, we’ve taken losses that make people say, ‘Well, we don’t think they can do this.’” Stringer said. “Everybody has their opinion, and they’re entitled to it.”
But Stringer isn’t ready to wave the white flag yet.
“I’m not going to quit until my last game of the season,” Stringer said. “We’re not counting ourselves out. I’m not counting myself out. I’m not saying it’s over for me.”
LSU coach Johnny Jones said his team still has a chance at the NCAA Tournament and can control its own destiny through the remainder of the season.
The Tigers still have to play No. 18 Kentucky and No. 2 Florida on the road before heading to the conference tournament where the chance to improve stock and an automatic qualifier bid is up for grabs.
“I think the last week of the season you’ll start to see teams play their way in or out,” Jones said. “Then you have the conference tournament where a team that’s really close can go in there and get hot at the right time regardless of what their final record is.” 
LSU has wins against Kentucky and Missouri, both top 40 RPI teams, but losses against Alabama (118), Texas A&M (135) and Rhode Island (175) are sure to hurt its chances.
Mississippi State is last in the SEC for RPI at No. 190. The Bulldogs have lost six straight games and have yet to win on the road.
“Everybody is mad at the situation, but we have to do something about it,” said LSU junior guard Anthony Hickey. “This situation can either motivate you, or it can break you.”
Hickey promised to motivate LSU back onto the winning track, saying the Tigers need to “cause trouble” throughout their remaining schedule.
LSU is currently tied for fifth in the SEC with a 6-6 conference record along with Missouri, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
“It’s about getting wins right now,” Hickey said. “If we’re winning games, it’s going to cause trouble, and we’re going to move up. … We have to separate ourselves
right now.”