The start of the NCAA Tournament is still two weeks away.

But the Auburn women’s basketball team has been playing elimination games since last Sunday.

The Tigers face the latest in a series of win-or-go-home games today, in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament. Auburn (19-10, 7-7 SEC) is the tournament’s sixth seed.

AU faces 11th-seeded Arkansas at 9 p.m. today. Win, and the Tigers can add another line to their postseason resume.

Lose, and they’ll be at the mercy of the NCAA tourney’s selection committee, which may not be very impressed with Auburn’s .500 SEC record and No. 61 ranking in the RPI.

Auburn head coach Nell Fortner knows her team can still improve its postseason chances. She isn’t saying exactly how many wins the Tigers need in the SEC Tournament. But one thing is clear: The more victories AU can get, the better.

“You definitely need to win as many games as you can at this point,” Fortner said. “I don’t know if there’s an exact number.”

Tonight against Arkansas (17-12, 2-12), Auburn is gunning for a rare accomplishment: Three wins against one opponent in a single season.

Though AU has a significant talent advantage against Arkansas — the Tigers beat the Razorbacks by 17 in Auburn last Sunday — beating the same team three times isn’t easy. Fortner certainly isn’t taking anything for granted.

“Anything can happen at this point in time,” she said. “People are fighting to get into the NCAA Tournament and are fighting to get better seeds in the tournament.

“Every game matters, and you want to finish your season out on a good note.”

The winner of tonight’s game plays third-seeded Vanderbilt at 9 p.m. Friday. The Commodores beat Auburn, 73-56, in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum last week.

| 737-2561