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11. Mississippi State
Record: 26-4 (14-2 SEC)
Rank: No. 5 ESPN/USA Today, No. 4 AP
Outcome: Lost in second round (Xavier 89-74)


What we like: Lawrence Roberts. Quite simply, the Bulldogs wouldn't be in the Top 25 if Roberts had decided to stay in the NBA draft. His decision alone keeps the Bulldogs in the mix. Roberts is the only returning first-team Wooden All-American. He's the reigning SEC player of the year. He could be a dominant college player. The Bulldogs lost point guard Timmy Bowers, but have Gary Ervin ready to step into a leadership role. He's a tough, hard-nosed New Yorker who can handle the pressure. Expect Shane Power to be healthy and more at ease in the system in his third year after transferring from Iowa State. Winsome Frazier is one of the better role players in the SEC on the wing and coach Rick Stansbury is raving about the potential impact of freshmen big men Charles Rhodes and Jerrell Houston.

Causes for concern: March. For whatever reason, the Bulldogs haven't been able to turn a successful regular season into a deep NCAA run. The Bulldogs continue to get bounced out early in the NCAAs. Texas beat Mississippi State in a poor seeding situation (the Longhorns were a No. 6 playing No. 3 MSU in Dallas) in the second round in 2002. Butler beat Mississippi State in the 2003 first round in a classic 12-5 matchup. A hot Xavier took out the Bulldogs in round two in 2004 after Mississippi State didn't even get past the quarterfinals in the SEC tournament, losing to Vanderbilt.

Keep an eye on: Marcus Campbell. He hasn't amounted to much since he arrived but Stansbury is hoping that he can become much more of a presence. They need someone else to be a buffer next to Roberts. Campbell has the size at 7-feet but he hasn't improved as much offensively. If he can become more of a drawing card for a defense then the Bulldogs will be a tougher out come March.

Non-conference nightmare: The Bulldogs should get to New York for the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic where Syracuse should be waiting in the semifinals and then likely Memphis in the final. Playing Arizona in the John Wooden Classic in Anaheim should give them two top-10 games in the first three weeks of the season. Playing at Xavier will be a tough chore, too.

Best-case scenario: The Bulldogs should win the SEC West, and if they can shake their March issues, make it at least to the second weekend.

I hope Bama has something to say about the Western Division. Bama has a lot to over come this season with the loss of Pettway. He was huge for the Tide last season, and his presence will be sorely missed. He done a good job of running the offense, and he made game changing plays for them in crunch time. Ronald Steele is thought to be the kid to replace Pettway. He is a true freshmen, so it will take him time to get use to the difference in talent level in college vs high school. He lead his team to back to back 6a titles in HS, so he has ability, he'll just need to adjust to the college game in hurry if Bama is to be successful. Winston enters another season at less than 100% with his knee. He had surgery in June, and hasn't regained all his strength yet. He still has problems with swelling after games and tough practice's. Yes, we have some potential, but I don't think Bama will win the West, unless everything comes together in a hurry. I expect the dawgs to win it, and be a force to contend with again. Roberts return is great for them, and bad for the rest of the SEC West.