Baton Rouge, La. — And then there were three.

That's how many games remain in the regular season for Georgia, beginning with Sunday's contest at LSU. The Bulldogs also face Auburn on Wednesday and Ole Miss on Saturday in a quirky all-Western Division finish to the season.

Those three teams sit in a four-way tie with Alabama for last place in the West. Just a couple of weeks ago, as the Bulldogs were fighting toe-to-toe with the mighty teams of the East, this looked like slow-paddle cruise to the end of the season. But suddenly it must look like Class 4 rapids to Georgia.

The Tigers (11-16, 4-9 SEC) have played more like a first-place team since coach John Brady was dismissed three weeks ago. Under interim coach Butch Pierre, LSU has won three of five games games, including road games at Florida and South Carolina. They also lost narrowly at home to Kentucky, blowing a late lead before falling 67-63.

"LSU is playing with great confidence right now and playing very, very well," Georgia coach Dennis Felton said. "Butch has done a terrific job with them. They have really good team athleticism and talent, and they're playing very, very well."

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs (12-14, 3-10) lost for the ninth time in the past 10 games when they fell meekly to Florida 77-64 in Athens on Wednesday. It was the kind of loss that had people wondering if the players had finally become resigned to their fate.

"I didn't see a team not trying," said Felton, who is down to eight scholarship players. "Florida was just a step quicker than us I thought. I can't say why. We're certainly not a team that should be physically worn out."

LSU represents a tough matchup for the Bulldogs. Part of its resurgence is because of the return of junior forward Chris Johnson. The 6-foot-11, 205-pounder joined 6-10, 190-pound freshman Anthony Randolph in the frontcourt to give the Tigers a couple of high-flying post players. They average 26.3 points and 4.72 blocks between them.

"Those two front-court players are a lot of to deal with at both ends," said Felton, who saw his team get 16 shots blocked against a similar lineup at Mississippi State. "They're so tall and athletic, and they're anchoring a defense that has always been tough. Now they got two goaltenders back there that can block a lot of shots and erase a lot of breakdowns. Offensively they're long and versatile and have range."

Georgia will combat LSU's interior athletic ability with a frontline that's built completely different. Dave Bliss, Albert Jackson and Jeremy Price, average 6-10, 260.

"Their advantage is athleticism and being able to jump over people to get to the rim," said Bliss, who has had double-figure rebounds in three of the past five games. "As a bigger guy you have to be concerned with getting position and always keeping a body on those guys and not allowing them to jump in open space. You just use your strengths."

In any case, the Bulldogs are sure to encounter a motivated LSU squad in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The Tigers are playing loose and have responded well to the more relaxed coaching style of Pierre, a 22-year assistant coach who hopes to land the job permanently.

"I'm just glad to have this opportunity," Pierre said. "I think the guys are responding. At this time we're just trying to do the best we can."

Historically, Bulldogs have fared better against the West. They've won 57 percent of the time compared to 38 percent against the East. And this is one road venue where Georgia — 8-43 on the road under Felton — has enjoyed some success. It's 5-3 here.