Frank Tolbert knows he’s running out of time.

The Auburn senior has just five regular-season games remaining in his Auburn career. Auburn’s final game in the Southeastern Conference tournament will mark the end of Tolbert’s AU tenure.

And he already has high hopes for a going-away present: A win today against archrival Alabama.

Tolbert, the only player remaining from head coach Jeff Lebo’s first Auburn team, is 2-5 against the Crimson Tide in his career. That includes a 20-point loss at Alabama earlier this season.

But a win today, Tolbert says, would be the perfect capper to his career.

“It would be nice to go out with a win against Alabama,” he said. “You can always look back on this game and say it was good and we had the upper edge on them.”

For Auburn (13-11, 3-8 SEC) to get an edge on Alabama, Tolbert will need to be at his best.

He scored 24 points in last Wednesday’s loss at Tennessee and is averaging 19.6 points over the last five games. And he’s doing it despite a litany of injuries that make him sound far older than his 21 years: A sore ankle, a bruised hip and a tender elbow, just for starters.

“I’m just trying to get this old body of mine better so I can play,” Tolbert said.

Despite the injuries, Tolbert’s production — and his all-out playing style — has caught the eye of Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried.

“He’s very intense,” Gottfried said of Tolbert. “He plays really hard. … I think he’s a very good player. I think as a senior he’s had a very good year.”

Gottfried’s team has struggled since its Jan. 26 win against AU. Alabama (14-12) has lost four of its six games since that victory. But Gottfried says the Tide isn’t giving up.

“We still feel like we can do some great things with this season,” he said. “There’s always that hope and that’s what you’re working toward. The attitude hasn’t changed.

“The guys have been really good in that regard. So I anticipate us just kind of plugging away and playing hard like we have.”

Despite both teams’ struggles, there’s still plenty at stake in today’s game — and not just bragging rights.

AU and Bama are tied for fourth in the SEC’s Western Division. A win today would give the Tide the tiebreaker edge over Auburn and keep Bama in the hunt for the West’s No. 3 seed and a more favorable draw in the SEC Tournament.

An Auburn win would even the season series and give Auburn a fighting chance for a third-place finish.

“I think it’s big for both teams,” Lebo said. “Everybody is still scrambling around down here to get to that third seed.

“There’s a lot of basketball to be played. It’s big, and there’s no doubt about it … but it’s also big because it’s Auburn-Alabama.”

The game will be televised on CBS (Channel 3 in Lee County).

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