Tigers face tough finale today

It’s hardly an ideal situation.

For its regular-season Southeastern Conference finale, the Auburn basketball team must travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to face surging Arkansas. It’s a tough matchup in the best of times: Arkansas beat AU, 76-70, in the teams’ previous meeting, in Auburn.

And these aren’t the best of times for Auburn.

Arkansas (19-10, 8-7 SEC) has plenty to play for: The Razorbacks likely must win today to preserve their NCAA Tournament hopes. It’s also Senior Night at Bud Walton Arena, and Arkansas has a whopping six scholarship seniors to recognize.

And that’s not to mention the Razorbacks’ considerable home-court advantage: Arkansas is 14-1 at Bud Walton this season.

“Arkansas is very difficult at home, on an emotional night for six seniors who have meant a lot to that program,” Auburn head coach Lebo said. “It’s a very difficult environment to play in.”

Auburn has considerably less at stake. The Tigers (14-14, 4-11 SEC) are assured of a fifth- or sixth-place finish in the SEC’s Western Division and are coming off consecutive home losses to Georgia and South Carolina.

AU is showing the strain of a long season and a short bench. Thanks to a host of injuries and other problems, the Tigers have played the entire Southeastern Conference season with seven healthy scholarship players.

Only six — guards Quantez Robertson, Rasheem Barrett, DeWayne Reed and Frank Tolbert and forwards Quan Prowell and Lucas Hargrove — play regularly.

After 15 SEC games, the Tigers are wearing down. Robertson, Barrett and Hargrove — Auburn’s starting point guard, shooting guard and small forward — shot a combined 4-for-37 from 3-point range in AU’s last three games, all losses.

“We have to play at such a high level every single night with those six guys that puts a little bit added pressure on them,” Lebo said. “It’s worn on our kids. It’s tough, and it’s not easy. I feel for them.”

Today’s game begins at 5 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN Classic (Channel 316 in Lee County).

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