Three Pointer

1. Mississippi State is the best team in the SEC.
The under-the-radar Bulldogs, who pounded Florida and Georgia last week to improve to 16-1, have two terrific players in 6'9" Lawrence Roberts and 6'2" Timmy Bowers, and their only loss is a buzzer-beating defeat to Kentucky on Jan. 13.

2 USC needs an attitude adjustment.
Coach Henry Bibby has to wonder which team is going to show up each night: the one that upset Arizona on Jan. 15 or the one that has dropped three straight since to fall to 8-9.

3 Providence is for real.
Playing a solid 2-3 zone and riding the stellar play of Ryan Gomes (26 points, 12 rebounds), the Friars made a statement in last Saturday's 66-56 win at UConn, outhustling the Huskies and improving to 13-3 (3-1 in the Big East).