2000-01 record: 13-16; 2-14 in SEC (6th in West) Final Ranking: NR Postseason: None RETURNING LEADERS Points: Dupree 17.3 ppg | Rebounds: Dupree 8.8 rpg | Assists: Bright 4.1 apg | FG %: Wilson 50.6% | 3pt %: Temple III 36.3% | FT %: Temple III 73.3% 00-01 Stats: LSU | SEC

		Tuesday, Nov. 6 John Brady's Tigers may be the surprise team in the West. I like what this club has coming back. Last year, they had problems when Brad Bridgewater went down with a knee injury. If he's back and healthy, he'll make a big difference. Of course, most everyone knows about Ronald Dupree, who led the SEC in scoring last year. He's as good an all-around player as anyone in the league. LSU will be a surprise team. I think they'll do very well.

Outlook
Nobody in college basketball fell faster than the Tigers from one season to the next: From 28-6 to 13-16; from 12-4 in league play to 2-14; from the NCAA Sweet 16 to a nine-game, January-February losing streak.

How far back they bounce this year depends in large part on who plays inside, and how well. For starters, this team is short, with nobody taller than 6-foot-9. Brad Bridgewater, 6-8 and 250, looked like he would start at center last year before wrecking a knee, and he will be enthusiastically welcomed back.

The other starting positions could be solid with returnees Torris Bright and Collis Temple III at guards, and Ronald Dupree and Jermaine Williams at forwards. Dupree's great sophomore season was lost amid all the defeats: he averaged 17.3 points and 8.8 rebounds a game.

A pair of rookie guards will also push the starters. Xavier Whipple and JueMichael Young both come in with big high school credentials.

What we like: How this team would have looked with 6-7 jumping jack Kedrick Brown, the top junior-college player in the nation and an LSU signee.

What we don't like: How this team looks without Brown, after he decided to turn pro and was taken with the No. 11 overall pick by the Boston Celtics.

The bottom line: LSU showed some moxie in last year's SEC tournament, upsetting Georgia and then taking Arkansas to the wire before losing. With 11 scholarship players -- his most since arriving at probation-saddled LSU in 1997 -- coach John Brady at least has some numbers to work with and work toward. LSU shouldn't be a night off for anyone this winter.

Key Players Returning
Player	Yr.	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Comment
Collis Temple III	Jr.	G	6-7/215	PTS: 14.1 | REB: 4.6 | AST: 2.2
Ronald Dupree	Jr.	F	6-6/210	PTS: 17.3 | REB: 8.8 | AST: 1.4
Torris Bright	Jr.	G	6-4/195	PTS: 10.8 | REB: 2.8 | AST: 4.1
Jermaine Williams	Sr.	F	6-7/185	PTS: 7.4 | REB: 3.9 | AST: 1.9

Key Losses
Player	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Comment
Brian Beshara	F	6-8/209	PTS: 11.2 | REB: 6.0 | AST: 2.3
Lamont Roland	G	6-4/205	PTS: 10.2 | REB: 3.5 | AST: 4.7

LSU Signings
Player	Pos.	Ht.	High School/College
Thomas Davis	F	6-8	Pineville, La./Kilgore JC
Shawnson Johnson	F	6-9	Shreveport, La./Lee JC
Antonio Hudson	G	6-4	Grambling, La./Grambling H.S.
Paul Wolfert	F	6-9	Hinsdale Central (Ill.) H.S.
Xavier Whipple	G	6-2	McIntyre, Ga./Wilkinson County H.S.