Two games.
That’s all standing between the LSU men’s basketball team and postseason action.
The buzz surrounding the Tigers began in late November, and the excitement has grown with each passing win. But March 11 signals the start of postseason action, when every game becomes more meaningful, and every win tougher to obtain.
With last Saturday’s 73-63 victory against Ole Miss, LSU has put itself in prime position for a Southeastern Conference Tournament run.
The Tigers, the Rebels and the Georgia Bulldogs are all tied for fourth place in the SEC standings at 10-6, but LSU’s 3-0 record against those teams gives it the tiebreaker if all three finish with identical records when the regular season concludes Saturday.
The top four seeds receive byes in the SEC Tournament, which takes place March 11-15 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
Hypothetically, the Tigers have an outside chance at grabbing the No. 2 seed but will need some help from Texas A&M and No. 18 Arkansas. Unless the Aggies and Razorbacks lose out, LSU’s best case scenario is a No. 4 seed.
Let the games begin.
Georgia (19-9, 10-6 SEC)
Projected SEC finish: 6th place
Streaks have characterized the Bulldogs in league play this season.
Georgia started the conference slate with consecutive losses to then-No. 23 Arkansas and LSU before reeling off five straight wins, including one against Ole Miss.
The Bulldogs then dropped back-to-back games against South Carolina and No. 1 Kentucky, but they turned it around with a pair of wins against Tennessee and Texas A&M.
Georgia has won three in a row following consecutive setbacks at home against Auburn and South Carolina, but that streak will likely end tonight against the No. 1 Wildcats, who sit unthreatened at 29-0.
The Bulldogs finish the regular season with a road trip to Auburn, which notched a 69-68 win against Georgia on the road.
Given the Bulldogs’ two losses to South Carolina and one at home to Auburn, it’s hard to imagine them winning their last two games and grabbing the No. 4 seed.
Ole Miss (19-10, 10-6 SEC)
Projected SEC finish: 5th place
Of the three teams fighting for the No. 4 seed, Ole Miss has the easiest schedule down the stretch.
Both of the Rebels’ last two opponents — Alabama and Vanderbilt — are below .500 in conference play with a combined 14-18 record. The Rebels are 8-0 against SEC squads with losing conference records this season.
Games against the Tide and Commodores should help Ole Miss overcome back-to-back setbacks against Georgia and LSU, the teams it’s currently tussling with for a top-four seed.
The Rebels will likely garner wins against Alabama and Vanderbilt, but their 0-4 mark against Bulldogs and Tigers may have doomed their chances at nabbing a bye. Unless LSU or Georgia loses one of its remaining two games, Ole Miss won’t finish higher than fifth no matter what it does to finish the season.
Both will have to lose at least once for the Rebels to have a chance at the No. 4 sopt.
LSU (21-8, 10-6 SEC)
Projected SEC finish: 4th place
Unlike Ole Miss and Georgia, the Tigers control their own destiny.
LSU’s season sweep of the Rebels coupled with its double-overtime victory against the Bulldogs earlier in the year put the Tigers in the driver’s seat for the No. 4 seed with two games to go.
However, LSU faces a tall task to wrap up the regular season.
After playing host to Tennessee on Wednesday, the Tigers travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for a match against the No. 18 Razorbacks. Arkansas suffered a 17-point beatdown at Kentucky on Saturday, ending a season-best, seven-game winning streak.
But the Tigers have begun peaking at the right time. Four of LSU’s last five wins have been by double digits, and its last two have been decided by a combined 33 points.
If the Razorbacks stumble against South Carolina on Thursday, the Tigers could move to the No. 3 spot if they win their two remaining games. But given the Razorbacks’ 20-point shellacking of the Gamecocks earlier this season, it appears a No. 4 seed is the best LSU can hope for.
You can reach David Gray on Twitter @dgray_TDR.