Looking for an underlying theme to Auburn’s four-game SEC winning streak, where the Tigers have won games in seemingly every possible fashion?

The always affable senior Rasheem Barrett barely let a reporter finish that question before he disclosed his theory to the secret behind Auburn’s success.

It’s all been one big chain reaction.

You practice hard, you win games. You like that winning feeling so much that you practice even harder the next day. You win more games.

“The wins,” Barrett said. “That’s a good part of keeping us pushing to get four in a row.”

It’s pushed SEC West Division leading LSU, winners of 10 straight, too. The two hottest teams in the conference meet tonight at 7 p.m. in Baton Rouge, La., at the Maravich Assembly Center.

Two weeks ago, after Auburn stumbled to 2-5 conference record with an ugly loss at Ole Miss, tonight’s matchup with No. 23 LSU (22-4, 10-1) appeared totally lopsided, with only one team having any hopes of sniffing the postseason.

Now, the Tigers (17-9, 6-5) are talking a justifiably big game.

“If we continue to play like we’ve been playing out there,” forward Korvotney Barber said, “we can go out and get the victory.”

The Tigers, particularly among the core group of seniors, credit their abrupt turnaround to an amped-up vibe at practices.

Everyone, including senior walk-on Drew Smith, who has yet to dress this season, down to the members of Auburn’s “blue squad” — a team of students who aid the Tigers at practices — deserves to be recognized, Barrett said.

“They help the people that start and the people that play in our rotation. It’s unbelievable how good they help us,” Barrett said. “They’re intense at all times on the court. They’re always pushing us, so I think that’s what’s helping us.”

Smith, Barrett said, can be credited for coining the phrase “Keep it at nine,” referring to the Tigers’ overall losses, which hasn’t budged, of course, since the onset of the streak.

“He reminds us before the game, after the games, in the locker room and at practice courts,” Barrett said. “The games, coming up to it, people say we’re going to lose it, people said this and that. We just know that we have us.”

As a senior, though, Barrett can take credit for leading the inspired resurgence.

Coming into the season, main senior cogs Barrett, Barber and Quantez Robertson went a combined 15-33 in conference games. That mark was worsened to 17-38 after the Ole Miss loss.

There were efforts before to cuff all the losing, Barrett said, but a lot of it was just talk.

“Ever since I’ve been here my freshman year, everyone said ‘We got to win, we got to do this.’” Barrett said. “But nobody took that initiative to step up and say ‘Hey, if we want to win, why don’t we do it?’ I don’t think it’s ever been this important.”

The emphasized importance has thrust Auburn into serious consideration for postseason play. Though the NCAA Tournament is still out of reach, the Tigers’ recent streak has at least made the NIT seem a very realistic possibility.

The topic has yet to be broached, coach Jeff Lebo said.

“I think it is too early, yet,” Lebo said. “I think they know about it, but it’s still not there yet to talk about it much right now. Our focus right now with our staff and our team is staying the course.”

LSU, meanwhile, has all but assured itself a spot in the NCAA Tournament, though its RPI (38) leaves a bit to be desired.

“I think we go down there,” Barber said, “and get the job done.”

| 737-2561