LSU men’s basketball is on pace to be one of the least successful teams in Southeastern Conference history. The Tigers (9-17, 0-12) have four chances to win an SEC contest before their regular season ends. “We’ve got four, and … we’ve got the SEC tournament,” said LSU coach Trent Johnson. “As bad as things look from the L’s and W’s and all that nonsense, we’ve still got to get better. We’ve still got games to play.”The most recent attempt came Saturday against Mississippi State in the PMAC.The Tigers led late in the contest, but a 3-pointer from Bulldog junior guard Phil Turner put his team ahead, 60-59, with 5.8 seconds left in the contest. LSU junior guard Bo Spencer then dribbled down and heaved an errant midcourt shot with a few seconds remaining. The shot was the latest in a string of instances when the Tigers have not been able to convert when it matters the most.”There will be better days — hopefully,” Johnson said. “If not, then guess what? You guys will be talking to someone else.”The least successful LSU basketball team in conference play was the 1944-45 team. That squad, under the direction of former coach Dale Morey, went 0-4 in conference play. The least successful team to play a full conference schedule came during Press Maravich’s first season as coach in 1966-67. That team won one SEC game in a three-win season. LSU senior forward Tasmin Mitchell said he doesn’t want to be remembered as being part of the worst LSU team ever. “We can’t go down in history like that,” he said. “We’re going to pull out a victory one day.”Mitchell has seen both ends of the spectrum. He also has the distinction of being the last remaining Tiger to go to the Final Four in 2006. He has seen two new coaches since then, two losing seasons in the SEC and a conference championship last year. The lack of success this season has been something that rests on his mind constantly, he said. “I think about that because if I didn’t I wouldn’t think about losing,” he said. “I think about that a lot. We can’t go winless in the SEC.”No team has actually gone winless in SEC play in a season in which more than 10 games have been played, but Georgia had an 11-5 record in 2002-03 expunged because of NCAA sanctions. The Bulldogs’ record now reads 0-16 for conference play in that season. Auburn has twice had one-win conference seasons, and Alabama and Ole Miss join Auburn and LSU as the four teams with one SEC win. The Crimson Tide had a 1-17 SEC record in 1968-69, and the Rebels went 1-15 in 1964-65.LSU’s remaining contests are split evenly between the PMAC and the road. Arkansas will visit Wednesday before the Tigers take their show on the road against Auburn and Ole Miss. LSU will close out the season March 6, against Georgia. Arkansas blew out LSU by 35 points in the earlier meeting this season, Auburn escaped its earlier matchup with LSU with a four-point win and then-No. 22 Ole Miss came into Baton Rouge and beat LSU by 10 points on Jan. 23.LSU has not faced Georgia this season. “This year has reinforced to me all the things I’ve always believed,” Johnson said. “It’s one game at a time. It’s today. You don’t worry about tomorrow … and also it makes me appreciate the game and the good years you’ve had.”—–Contact Johanathan Brooks at [email protected]