LSU basketball (17-14) closed the regular season on Saturday win a win over Missouri, clinching the 8-seed in the SEC Tournament while doing so. The tournament tips off Wednesday, with it running through Sunday. All games will be at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

The Tigers' path to March Madness is slim, and almost certainly requires a Cinderella run to the SEC Championship. But more likely for LSU is the NIT. While not guaranteed, a win or two in the tournament could be enough to get the Tigers' NET high enough to qualify and potentially even host a first-round game.

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LSU starts the tournament on Thursday at 12 noon as the Tigers take on 9-seed Mississippi State (19-12). Thursday's game will be broadcast on SEC Network.

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LSU and MSU played once this season, with the Bulldogs winning in Baton Rouge, 87-67.

LSU Basketball SEC Tournament Prediction

LSU 71, Mississippi State 65: These two teams are much more evenly matched than they appeared to be last time. The Tigers won't let the Bulldogs win again.

Tennessee 92, LSU 75: One team that LSU doesn't match up well with is the top-seed Volunteers. The Tigers' tournament run will end in the second round.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: LSU hoops SEC Tournament prediction: How far will the Tigers go?