2000-01 record: 18-13; 7-9 in SEC (t4th in West) Final Ranking: NR Postseason: Lost to Tulsa 77-75 in quarterfinals of NIT. RETURNING LEADERS Points: Patterson 12.1 ppg | Rebounds: Patterson 4.4 rpg | Assists: Zimmerman 2.9 apg | FG %: Austin 47.8% | 3pt %: Patterson 37.2% | FT %: Patterson 79.2% 00-01 Stats: Mississippi State | SEC

		Tuesday, Nov. 6 Coach Rick Stansbury is a little bit on the hot seat and needs a good year to stay around. The Bulldogs have a lot of new faces and need play from a lot of different players. Marckell Patterson is their leader, but he'll need a lot help from Mario Lofton and Lincoln Smith, a couple of 6-foot-9 bookends. Both need to play well on the inside for Mississippi State to have a good year. Junior Derrick Zimmerman, who's a pretty good point guard, has been running the club but they really need help on the inside badly.

Outlook
Coach Rick Stansbury might be feeling the heat in Starkville, given his 20-28 SEC record in three years on the job, coupled with Rod Barnes' wild success at Ole Miss.

If State is going to upgrade or even repeat last year's 18-13 season it will probably need Mario Austin to begin fulfilling his potential. The 6-foot-9 Austin almost turned pro out of high school, then demonstrated how silly that would have been by averaging a modest 7.9 points and 3.6 rebounds as a foul-plagued freshman.

Now Austin appears to have gotten the message. He has lost weight, toned up and is said to be ready for a breakout season.

The perimeter should be manned by wingmen Marckell Patterson (12.1 ppg) and Michael Gholar, with point guard duties going to junior Derrick Zimmerman.

What we like: State annihilated opponents on the glass last year, outrebounding them by eight per game. This was gang-rebounding, with eight guys average three or more boards.

What we don't like: The two leading rebounders (Tang Hamilton and Robert Jackson) are gone. Austin rebounded well beneath his talent level at 3.6 per game.

The bottom line: Mississippi State plays in the Las Vegas Classic before Christmas, which should give the Bulldogs a good idea where they stand heading into league play. They better stand tall, when you consider that the SEC run begins with Kentucky, at Arkansas, at Ole Miss, Tennessee and at Alabama. Even a decent team could lose all five of those and derail its season -- and it's unclear whether this is a decent Bulldogs team.

Key Players Returning
Player	Yr.	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Comment
Marckell Patterson	Sr.	F	6-5/190	PTS: 12.1 | REB: 4.4 | AST: 2.0
Robert Jackson	Sr.	F	6-8/255	PTS: 11.3 | REB: 7.3 | AST: 0.5
Mario Austin	So.	F	6-9/265	PTS: 7.6 | REB: 3.6 | AST: 0.8
Derrick Zimmerman	Jr.	G	6-2/205	PTS: 4.6 | REB: 2.7 | AST: 2.9
Tyrus Boswell	Sr.	F	6-7/240	PTS: 6.8 | REB: 4.1 | AST: 0.3

Key Losses
Player	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Comment
Antonio Jackson	G	6-4/185	PTS: 12.8 | REB: 3.2 | AST: 3.2
Tang Hamilton	F	6-7/220	PTS: 12.2 | REB: 6.8 | AST: 1.3

Mississippi State Signings
Player	Pos.	Ht.	High School/College
Marcus Campbell	C	7-1	Albany, Ga./Westover H.S.
Wesley Morgan	C	7-2	Gallatin, Tenn.
Winsome Frazier	F	6-5	Miami, Fla./Northwestern H.S.
Michael Ignerski	C	6-10	Poland/Eastern Oklahoma State College