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GAME NOTES: The 18th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores will certainly have their hands full this evening as the Mississippi State Bulldogs come to Nashville for an SEC battle.

Mississippi State is 16-5 overall, including 4-2 in SEC action, and the club hopes to improve upon a 3-3 record in true road games tonight. The Bulldogs were most recently in action on Saturday when they halted a two-game slide with a 67-51 romp over LSU.

As for Vanderbilt, it carried an impressive 10-game win streak into Saturday's matchup with national power Kentucky in Lexington. The Commodores tasted defeat for the first time since December 11th with an 85-72 loss to the Wildcats. Still, Vandy is 16-4 overall and 5-1 in the SEC, and the club has won all 10 of its home games this season, an obvious reason for confidence tonight.

The Commodores own a 71-43 series advantage over the Bulldogs, but MSU won last season's meeting.

Ravern Johnson has been the leading scorer for Mississippi State in back-to- back outings, and he is averaging 14.0 ppg on 50.5 percent shooting from the floor, including 43.4 percent accuracy from three-point range. Jarvis Varnado brings 13.5 ppg to the mix in addition to his 11.1 rpg and 106 blocks, and he is a strong candidate for SEC Player of the Year honors. Dee Bost provides 11.4 ppg and 113 assists, while Barry Stewart checks in with 11.2 ppg. The Bulldogs are generating 73.4 ppg while holding foes to 61.0 ppg on 36.5 percent shooting. On Saturday, Johnson posted 15 points, while Stewart and Phil Turner both had 12 points against LSU. Varnado was solid as usual, posting 11 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, although all three of those figures fell below his season averages. The Bulldogs limited the Tigers to 34 percent shooting from the field, and an 18-10 edge in points from the foul line certainly helped the cause.

Vanderbilt is generating 79.1 ppg on 49.7 percent shooting from the floor, and the club is holding opponents to 67.8 ppg on 40.6 percent field goal efficiency. Jermaine Beal is netting 14.0 ppg to go along with 3.1 apg, and he has emerged as the team's new scoring leader. Jeffery Taylor, who has been atop the list for much of the season, provides 13.9 ppg, and A.J. Ogilvy is close behind with 13.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg. As for John Jenkins, the fourth and final double-digit scorer for Vanderbilt, he brings 10.8 ppg to the floor. In the 13-point loss to Kentucky last time out, Beal scored 19 points in 37 minutes of action, and Ogilvy pitched in 12 points. The Commodores suffered a crippling 41-22 rebounding disadvantage, the most obvious contributing factor in the setback.

The Commodores will bounce back with a home win tonight, but expect the game to go down to the wire. The Nashville crowd will provide a huge lift for Vandy.