Nationally Ranked Teams Highlight Doubleheader At AAC

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DALLAS – Two nationally ranked college teams, No. 6 Baylor and No. 15 Mississippi State, highlight the second annual Dallas Showcase Presented byMetroPCS at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday. The game is scheduled to tip at 8 p.m. CT, immediately following the SMU-Oklahoma State game, which begins at 5:30 p.m.

Baylor (12-0) is seeking its best start in program history as it closes out its non-conference schedule. The Bears were 12-0 to start the 2001 season, and kept their record perfect last weekend by defeating future Big 12-member West Virginia in Las Vegas, 83-81 in overtime. But Mississippi State is the only ranked opponent Baylor has played this year.

“We’re excited to play again in this event,” said Baylor head coach Scott Drew, whose team is one of only six unbeaten teams left in college basketball. “I know the last couple of times we played up there it’s been great games and really helped our team get better. This is a great match up because both of us are very athletic, both are very long and talented, so I think you will see a lot of exciting plays.”

Mississippi State (12-1) is winners of 11 straight, which includes wins over Texas A&M and Arizona en route to capturing the 2K Sports Classic last month at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Bulldogs boast one of the nation’s best inside-outside combinations: Arnett Moultrie (a 6-11 forward averaging a double-double, 17.8 ppg and 11.7 rpg) and Dee Bost (a 6-3 guard averaging 17.2 ppg and 3.9 apg).

“It’s very obvious we’re going to play one of the better teams in the country,” said 14th-year MSU coach Rick Stansbury. “Scott (Drew) has done a terrific job with them and has them playing at a very high level. This will be, no question, our most difficult challenge, task, of the season.”

SMU (7-4) will be making its first appearance in the 10-year-old American Airlines Center, and will be battling OSU for the first time since 2005. SMU, which has won five of its last six games, suffered three of its four losses by nine total points.

“With young players, sometimes they get ahead of themselves and think they are better than they are and then you take a step back,” said Matt Doherty, whose roster includes eight freshmen and two sophomores. “Hopefully we’ve taken some steps backwards and have gotten better. This will be a great test for us.”

Travis Ford’s Oklahoma State team (6-5) isn’t much older. OSU’s roster features six freshmen and one sophomore and after a tough non-conference slate, the Cowboys have lost three straight, all on neutral courts. Leading OSU is former Dallas Lincoln All-American, Le’Bryan Nash, a 6-7, 230-pound freshman forward averaging 13.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

“We have put our team in a very difficult situation as far as the schedule (is concerned),” said Ford. “We haven’t played at home very often and we’ve played against teams much more experienced than us, but we’re hoping at the end of the day it will help us get better down the road.”

Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster.com or at the American Airlines Center box office. Lower arena seats are priced at $29, $59 and $99. A portion of each ticket benefits Buckets and Boots, a Texas-basedcharity that supports volunteer firefighting efforts.

The SMU-Oklahoma State game will be televised by ESPNU and the Baylor-Mississippi State game will be televised by ESPN2. Mark Jones (play-by-play) and Dallas native Fran Fraschilla (analyst) will call the action.

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