By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Almost one year ago to the day, then-No. 13 Xavier traveled to New York City to play Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs were ranked No. 24, and Xavier looked at the game as a chance to prove itself against a Southeastern Conference team on a neutral court.

Xavier failed. Mississippi State dominated the game inside and outside much more than the 71-61 score indicated, and Xavier missed yet another opportunity to beat a major-conference team away from Cintas Center.

The Musketeers get a chance at redemption at 8 p.m. today, on the road against Mississippi State at Humphrey Coliseum. Much like last year, this is an opportunity for Xavier, more so because it is on the Bulldogs' court.

"Revenge," said Xavier guard Dedrick Finn. "We played horrible against them last year. If we win this, it's going to be a major confidence boost. It would show we can compete with Mississippi State."

Not since Nov. 27, 1999, has Xavier gone on the road or to a neutral site and defeated a team from one of the six major conferences: the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC or Pacific 10. That win came against Washington of the Pac-10 in the Great Alaska Shootout. The last time Xavier (4-2) beat a major-conference team on its home court was March 21, 1994, when Xavier won at Northwestern, a Big Ten school, in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.

A win tonight at Mississippi State (6-0) would mark the first time since a win at Pittsburgh in 1984 that Xavier won on the road, during the regular season, on a major-conference opponent's home court.

"It's huge for us to go in there and get a win," said sophomore forward Will Caudle. "We owe them. It was embarrassing last year, like we were going through the motions."

Last season, Xavier lost to MSU, at Stanford, at Alabama and to Maryland in the NCAA Tournament. This season, the Musketeers lost to Indiana in Indianapolis on Nov. 29. Xavier (4-2) plays at Big 12 opponent Iowa State on Dec. 23.

The Bulldogs are not ranked but have won all six of their games, the most recent an 86-84 win against UAB last Saturday. Coach Rick Stansbury replaced four starters from last season's team, but an unlikely transfer, Lawrence Roberts from Baylor, has helped offset the loss of first-team All-SEC forward Mario Austin.

"If they're not a Top 25 team, I don't know who is," Xavier coach Thad Matta said. "It's going to be a great challenge for us."

Like all Baylor players, Roberts was allowed to transfer and begin playing immediately after scandal threw the program into turmoil last summer.

Roberts, a junior, ended up at Mississippi State, and has taken over in the post, averaging 15.2 points and 11.3 rebounds. His presence has changed the Bulldogs' outlook from that of a rebuilding year to one when Stansbury believes his team can be a contender. Returning guards Timmy Bowers and Winsome Frazier and Iowa State transfer Shane Power will help.

"(Roberts) wanted a good team in a great league," Stansbury said. "We needed experience and somebody that could play inside. It's been a good fit for both of us."

With all of the new faces on Mississippi State's roster, Stansbury said some players don't even remember or weren't a part of last year's game against Xavier. The Musketeers, on the other hand, have been trying to forget it.

"Last year is erased out of my mind," Xavier center Anthony Myles said. "It's not revenge, but there's a respect for them."