By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

University of Cincinnati women's basketball coach Laurie Pirtle could've started the season with an easy opponent to pad statistics, records and egos.

Instead, she chose to open with one of the country's top teams.

The Bearcats, ranked 18th by the Associated Press, face No.20 Mississippi State at 8 tonight in Starkville, Miss.

"It's one of those things where you look at the schedule and think, `Why the heck did I do that?'" Pirtle said. "But we know why we did it. These are the kinds of games that are going to make us better. These are the kind of challenges we want."

UC, fresh from its best season in school history, is preparing for a tough test. A win would strengthen the Bearcats' ranking and bolster morale. It could also be UC's only crack at a Top 25 team in the regular season.

A loss could knock UC out of the polls and give leverage to Conference-USA co-favorite TCU, which is on the Top 25 bubble. For a Bearcats team aiming to build on last season's success, a defeat would have them playing immediate catch-up.

Enter Mississippi State.

The Lady Bulldogs visited Cincinnati last December, but things have changed since UC won 74-57 in their first meeting. After thrashing exhibition opponents by an average of 37 points, Mississippi defeated South Alabama and Tulsa in the Women's Preseason NIT. No.14 Penn State knocked the Lady Bulldogs out of Wednesday's semifinals in an 82-66 rout.

Mississippi State's top player is Kodak All-American LaToya Thomas, a 6-foot-2 senior forward who's averaging 29 points and 10 rebounds. She scored a WPNIT-record 42 points in Sunday's 92-66 defeat of Tulsa.

"I don't think we're too worried about her, but we definitely want to be aware of her," Bearcats point guard K.B. Sharp said. "We aren't going to let her get points easily."

UC's defense held Thomas to 11 points and six rebounds last December. It was then-freshman guard Tan White they couldn't stop; she scored 25 points.

But the Bearcats have big reasons to back their high AP billing. Only three regular players are gone from a squad that tied a school record for most wins (27), and won its first Conference USA Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament game.

Sharp will make her 65th consecutive start tonight. Preseason first-team C-USA selection Valerie King will be the starting shooting guard, with Brittani Young and Carolyn Alexander at forward and 6-3 sophomore Debbie Merrill at center.

Exhibition wins over Northwest Sports (81-55) and the Ohio Girls Basketball Magazine Legends (83-60) have given credence to one of Pirtle's biggest concerns: maintaining stability with a lead.

"In the first five minutes against the Legends, we were good defensively, we were good offensively, we executed and we were intense. Then we said `We've pretty much got them' and started to coast. You can't do that and get better," Pirtle said. "That's what we were good at last year - executing and sticking with it."

The Bearcats have won their last three season openers, and Pirtle is optimistic about a fourth. Whether or not this is the best team in school annals is another story, and the first chapter unfolds tonight.

"We'll have Final Four practices written down on paper," Pirtle said. "It's (the players') job to get it done on the floor."

E-mail: srussell@enquirer.com