LAS VEGAS — Mississippi State has tied a record for the best start in school history at 11-0. To set a new standard, the Bulldogs have to get past UC tonight in the third round of the Las Vegas Classic.

        “Are we excited about playing Cincinnati? Yes,” Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said. “Am I anxious about having to play against that defense? No. It will be a terrific challenge for us.”

        Especially because the Bulldogs' victories have come against a fairly weak schedule, including opponents such as Nicholls State, Florida A&M, Arkansas-Little Rock, Alabama A&M and so on. The toughest opponents were probably Georgia State, a 2001 NCAA Tournament team, Richmond (twice) and, well, Louisiana-Lafayette.

        Still, Stansbury can't help but be pleased. The Bulldogs' have eight total freshmen and sophomores mixed in with their veterans.

        The Bulldogs' top scoring threats are senior forward Marckell Patterson (15.9 ppg), sophomore center Mario Austin (14.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and junior Derrick Zimmerman (9.9 ppg, 6.9 apg).

        Zimmerman has taken over the point guard duties. Austin, a McDonald's All-American who considered turning pro out of high school, has dropped about 35 pounds from last season. Stansbury said Austin is more mobile and a better defender and rebounder.

        DON'T FORGET:

        It was the Bulldogs who knocked the Bearcats out of the 1996 NCAA Tournament in the regional final, preventing UC from a Final Four appearance.

        B.J. PLAYS:

        Junior center B.J. Grove, who returned to the Bearcats as a walk-on Dec.12, played for the first time and finished with five points and four rebounds in 17 minutes.

        Starting center Donald Little fouled out of his first game this season, picking up three fouls in the first 1:59 of the second half. He went to the sideline for good with 18:01 remaining.

        NOTABLE NUMBERS:

        UC finished 18-of-34 from 3-point range, the second-most 3s made in school history and the fourth-most attempted. The record is 24 against Oakland (Dec. 5, 1998). ... Immanuel McElroy made his first 3-pointer of the season; he came in 0-of-8.

        REST EASY:

        All the UC starters were on the bench with almost nine minutes still remaining. That's a good thing for the Bearcats, who are playing three games in three days.

UC unsteady but breezes to 9th win in row UC notebook

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