WBRZ - Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE - The Tigers kick off this weekend's three-game series against Washington tonight for Friday at the Box, hoping to extend their winning record.

It's the last non-conference weekend for third-ranked LSU (12-1) before they face Mississippi State March 15 to start SEC play.

LSU has won the past seven straight games, with their last loss coming against BYU on Feb. 23. Coach Paul Manieri said they plan to use this series to get ready for conference play.

"We plan to treat this series like an SEC weekend," he said. "We'd like to simulate the preparation and atmosphere that we'll experience in our league each week. The weather should be warmer this weekend, so we're hoping for some great crowds to give our players a taste for what it's like when we start playing SEC games. Washington has a very talented club with SEC-caliber players, so we're looking forward to a strong challenge."

Watch News 2's live Friday at the Box coverage tonight at 6 p.m., then see the Tigers take on Washington starting at 7 p.m. Game 2 starts at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, and Game 3 begins at 1 p.m. Sunday.