The Auburn Tigers earned a much-needed victory on Senior Night Tuesday evening at Neville Arena, defeating the LSU Tigers 88-74 to keep their tournament hopes alive headed into the final game of the regular season this weekend.

It’s a victory that takes some pressure off the team following seven losses in their last eight contests, however the task does not get any easier from here with just one regular season game left this weekend at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

By beating LSU — one of the worst teams in the conference — Auburn kept its narrow tournament hopes alive as the Tigers find themselves squarely on the bubble. A victory over the Tide on the road — which would be their sixth Quad 1 victory of the season — likely would be enough to push them into the NCAA Tournament.

Should the Tigers lose Saturday, their March Madness hopes barring a shocking run to victory at the SEC Tournament in Nashville would likely be all but dashed.

Meanwhile, Alabama will be coming off a loss after they were defeated on the road Tuesday against a solid Georgia Bulldogs team that likely will be in the tournament as well.

Auburn hasn’t exactly inspired confidence over the past month, so nothing feels guaranteed — but it’s fair to say Wednesday sets up as a win-or-else spot against Alabama, with the Tigers trying to avoid getting swept by their hated rival this season.

The Tide will be heavily favored, and if the Tigers cannot find a way to get themselves up for what would be a huge upset, it likely spells the end of their season.

In doing so, it would also mark the conclusion to year one of the Steven Pearl era with no tournament appearance — which has not been a reality for Auburn in nearly a decade — notwithstanding the 2020-21 season self-imposed a postseason ban.

It should be a tremendous showdown at Coleman, and Auburn will have to do everything they can to come away with a victory. The fate of their season relies on it.