WHAT WE LEARNED IN NOVEMBER
Mississippi State may have been the preseason favorite in the SEC Western Division, but things aren't going to come easy for the Bulldogs. They are going to need to develop more depth to handle the rigors of the conference schedule.

DECEMBER AT A GLANCE
The Bulldogs take on DePaul on Dec. 10 in Tampa in the SEC-Big East Invitational, then hop a plane for Anaheim, Calif., where they will take on UCLA two nights later. They might want to apply for frequent flyer benefits, with trips to Houston on Dec. 19 and San Diego on Dec. 21 coming up.

PLAYER ROTATION
Usual Starters -- F Jarvis Varnado, G Phil Turner, G Dee Bost, G Barry Stewart, G Ravern Johnson. Key Subs -- F Kodi Augustus, F Romero Osby, G Riley Benock.

ROSTER REPORT

--Sophomore F Kodi Augustus was suspended for two games because of remarks he made after the opening loss to Rider. He was upset after playing only 15 minutes, and also said his father had said that Bulldogs coach Rick Stansbury was out-coached in the loss. He later apologized. He played 21 minutes in the victory over Texas-Pan American upon his reinstatement, scoring nine points and grabbing eight rebounds.

--The Bulldogs are still awaiting the status of freshman Renardo Sidney to be resolved with the NCAA. The family attorney submitted more paperwork to the NCAA in October regarding financial statements in an effort to show how the family paid for rental property when they moved from Mississippi to California.

--F Jarvis Varnado became the SEC's all-time leading shot blocker when he came up with four blocked shots in a win over Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 21. That gave him 413 for his career, one more than Shaquille O'Neal of LSU.

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