BATON ROUGE - Just like that, what looked like the first interesting March for LSU basketball since 2009 has gone splat.

The Tigers, 17-10 overall, 7-6 in the SEC and riding a four-game winning streak just about two weeks ago, are 17-13, 7-9 and losers of three in a row going into the SEC Tournament Thursday in New Orleans. They actually had a decent chance of finishing in the top four in the league and getting a bye on the first day of the tournament.

Now, they have the worst possible seeding at No. 8. The Tigers play equally struggling, No. 9 seed Arkansas (18-13, 6-10 SEC), which has lost two straight and five of six, at noon Thursday. The Tigers' reward if they win that game? Why No. 1 Kentucky (30-1, 16-0) at noon on Friday. Kentucky beat LSU 74-50 on Jan. 28.

If LSU is to have any chance at an NIT bid, it needs to beat Arkansas, and LSU did handle the Razorbacks 71-65 in Baton Rouge on Feb. 4. That was the first of five LSU wins in a six-game span. Arkansas beat LSU 69-60 in Fayetteville on Jan. 14. A win over Arkansas followed by a decent loss to Kentucky - something within 20 - could mean an NIT bid.

Somehow, LSU has to regroup against Arkansas so as not to spoil everything it did in most of February.

"That's what tournaments are - a new season, a fresh start," LSU coach Trent Johnson said. "We've got to put this (three straight losses) behind us and get ready for a new season."

That will be easier said than done. LSU looked sick in losing 67-52 Saturday to a bad Auburn team that finished 15-15 and 5-11. It looked bad in losing 72-48 to an average Ole Miss team the previous Saturday.

Just when LSU got to a place where it could scratch the surface of being an SEC player, it wilted.

Center Justin Hamilton, LSU's best and most consistent player all season, has scored a total 13 points in three of LSU's last four games after averaging 13 points for the season. He had two at Ole Miss and four at Auburn with just four rebounds.

Freshman Forward Johnny O'Bryant, who really looked to be blossoming, had one of his worst games of the season at Auburn, going 1-of-9 from the field with five turnovers. He looked like he was trying to show NBA scouts he could shoot like a guard. He was taking off balance fall aways and continuing to go backwards from the basket even though his strength is near the basket.

Combined, Hamilton and O'Bryant were 2-of-16 from the field with eight turnovers. If LSU does not get better play from Hamilton and O'Bryant, its once promising season will end in disgrace as did the previous two.