Friday, November 14, 2014   
 
Mississippi State president stresses importance of improving Mississippi's education
High above the city at the Great Southern Club, Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum focused much of his Thursday speech to the Rotary Club of Gulfport on the importance of improving the state's education level. He praised MSU's freshman class for having an average ACT score of 24.4, but said there's plenty of work to be done statewide. Only about 19 percent of Mississippians have at least a bachelor's degree, he said, compared with the national average more than 28 percent. "That's a huge gap, ladies and gentlemen, that we have got to close," he said.
 
Mississippi State president brings recruiting tour to Gulfport High
The president of the top college football team in the country came to Gulfport High Thursday, hoping to recruit some future students. Mississippi State University President Dr. Mark Keenum didn't focus on athletics, but rather, academics. "I can stand up here and talk to you all day about how wonderful MSU is," Keenum said. He wants to see the young Admirals in front of him become future Bulldogs. "Whatever you think you want to be, we have a program to get you there," Keenum told them. During a recruiting stop at Gulfport High, Keenum spoke to 30 of the school's top juniors and seniors. But he didn't talk just about his campus in Starkville.
 
Hidden Treasures: Mississippi State's MAFES Cheese Store
Cheese is a classic addition to any tailgate party, and a staple for holiday platters. Mississippi State University is proving that true. The Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, or MAFES Store, is busy shipping cheese for the holidays. "We've been taking orders since July 1, and we're almost out of all of our cheeses. We have customers that have been buying cheese for 30 some years. We ship cheese to all four corners of the country. Our biggest seller is the Edam. It's what we started making 75 years ago. We've developed other kinds with the cheddar and jalapeno. And vallagret is becoming a real popular cheese," said MAFES Store manager Troy Weaver.
 
Mississippi State, Alabama fans show their colors
No. 1 ranked Mississippi State plays No. 5 Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Saturday afternoon. This week, leading up to the game, The Dispatch sought out fans wearing their team's colors. Will Saturday's game be wrapped in maroon and white or drowned in a crimson tide?
 
Mississippi State named among nation's 50 best colleges for veterans
Mississippi State is among the nation's top veteran friendly schools. This week in "Military Times," a news source reporting issues on service members' lives, the college came in at No. 34 on the "Best for Vets: Colleges 2015" list. The list was created from data compiled from the U.S. Department of Education, including academic success measures, and gathered responses to surveys. The news source also used information on financial assistance provided and quality of student support services when making the list. Earlier this month, the university announced their partnership with U.S. Office of Veterans Affairs and the Jackson VA to make MSU the first university in the nation to offer polytrauma services to veterans.
 
MSU Police Department seeks extension of jurisdiction
The Mississippi State University Police Department seeks to make a change to a law that would extend its jurisdiction 500 feet around campus. According to MSUPD Chief Marvin Rice, the police forces for all junior colleges, such as EMCC, currently have this special expansion to their jurisdictions as well as two other four-year universities. Rice said MSUPD's main reason for seeking the expansion is Blackjack Road. Blackjack lies outside of both Starkville Police and MSUPD's jurisdiction, so it is left to the county sheriffs to patrol. Rice also said the expansion would allow the police department to have better control of game-day traffic on Hwy. 12 and 182 .
 
Stadium work leads to road closure at Mississippi State
Mississippi State officials are warning of a road closure this weekend on campus. Officials say B. S. Hood Drive will close at 1 p.m. Friday and remain closed until Sunday night. Crews will be doing work on Davis Wade Stadium during this time and traffic will be rerouted around the area.
 
Mississippi State hosts reception for Japan-America Society
Mississippi State University's Japan Outreach Program hosted a reception for the Japan-America Society of Mississippi (JASMIS) Thursday night featuring special guests Motohiko Kato, the consul-general of Japan in Nashville; and Peter Kelley, president of the National Association of Japan-America Societies, at the Bost Extension Center Thursday evening. The event was designed to introduce JASMIS to local business officials, educators and others and let them meet Kato and Kelley. Kato said JASMIS is valuable as a resource for 36 Japanese companies operating in Mississippi that employ 10,000 people throughout the state. Soon to join these is Yokohama Tire Company, which broke ground last year on a new plant in West Point expected to bring hundreds of jobs to the area. Kato said many Japanese companies value the chance to localize their production in the U.S. because many of their consumers live there. (Subscriber-only content.)
 
Japan-America Society leaders hold reception at Mississippi State
The Japan-America Society of Mississippi held a reception Thursday night on Mississippi State's campus. Some special guests were in attendance. The first was Consul General Motohiko Kato, who serves as a representative of the Japanese government in this area. The other was the president of the National Association of Japan-America Societies, Peter Kelly. They were both in town to speak to members of the community about the importance of building a relationship between Japan and America.
 
MSU Diversity Conference Underway
Over two days on the Mississippi State University campus, conference-goers are taking pathways to diversity. A conference in the Bill Foster Ballroom at Colvard Student Union Building seems to be creating a better understanding of differences among people. Many colleges and universities want to close an apparent racial and cultural divide, and are discussing and debating the issues.
 
Yokohama Tire construction ahead of schedule
Construction of the infrastructure that will serve the Yokohama Tire plant in West Point is either done or will be done by the end of the year, while the building itself is on pace to be ready by the beginning of the second quarter of 2015. The hiring process is moving along as well, according to Alan Easome, Yokohama senior director of new plant development. So far, about 100 positions ranging from engineers to technicians have been filled. The other 400 positions that are expected to be available as the company prepares to launch production at the plant next October include production personnel. People can look for those positions to start opening up in January, Easome said. "We're in a continuous hiring process," Easome said.
 
Fire destroys buildings at Mississippi Ag Museum
Thick, black smoke billowed through the air over Northeast Jackson on Thursday evening as a two-alarm fire destroyed three buildings at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, a major tourist attraction in the metro area. A fourth building might have been affected, according to Keith Montgomery, assistant chief deputy for the state fire marshal's office. There are reports one person was slightly hurt while getting away from the fire. "At this time, we don't even have an idea as to what might have caused it," he said. "We'll investigate it as soon as we can." Fire alarms from other buildings on the premises continued to screech as firefighters contained the flames. Some museum employees huddled together and consoled one another as they spoke with Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Cindy Hyde-Smith.
 
Lawmaker questions who knew what, when about Epps
State Rep. David Baria wants legislative hearings on who knew what and when they knew it about a corruption investigation of prisons chief Chris Epps. "Why was such a powerful official who was under intense scrutiny for years allowed to remain in his position?" said Baria, D-Bay St. Louis. He questions why Epps was reappointed "even while he was under intensive investigation by at least one state agency, according to reports." Epps is accused of running one of the largest and longest criminal conspiracies in state history. "Sadly, the MDOC scandal is not an isolated incident of government corruption in our state," Baria said.
 
State Rep. Baria calls for hearings after indictment of former MDOC Commissioner Epps
State Rep. David Baria, D-Waveland, on Thursday called for a legislative hearing on recent charges against long-time Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps for an alleged bribery and kickback scheme dating as far back as 2007. In a news release, Baria also questioned the reasoning behind Epps' re-appointments even while he was under intense investigation by at least one state agency. "Why was such a powerful official who was under intense scrutiny for years allowed to remain in his position? How much state money has been wasted by the failure to stop shady business deals by an official under investigation?" Baria said.
 
Chris Epps gets Mercedes day after corruption charges
After the federal government moved to seize two Mercedes-Benz vehicles owned by former corrections commissioner Chris Epps, Epps walked out of a dealership on Friday with a third. Epps and his wife visited the Jackson dealership to get a car for Catherlean Epps to drive to work the day after pleading not guilty to corruption charges in federal court, said Epps' attorney. Federal authorities have already moved to seize two Mercedes, along with a $360,000 house and beachfront condo, that Epps owned, saying he got the assets through more than $1 million in bribes he received during his time with the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
 
Roger Wicker wins National Republican Senatorial Committee race
Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi was elected Thursday as the next chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The battle to lead the Senate Republicans' campaign arm was a close contest between Wicker and Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), who began lobbying their colleagues several weeks ago. The next NRSC chief faces a brutal political map in the 2016 electoral cycle. Not only is it a presidential year, but Democrats are only defending 10 seats while Republicans have to defend 24 -- many in states that voted for President Barack Obama. Wicker's pitch to colleagues was that he brought more money to fellow Republicans.
 
Can this Man Secure the Republican Senate Majority?
Roger Wicker, the junior Senator from ruby red Mississippi, has never faced a competitive reelection campaign. He hasn't made much of a name for himself in the Senate. And he's never had to make a hard appeal to independent voters. So, how'd a three-term, low-profile Republican Senator become the man charged with re-electing his GOP colleagues in 2016? The answer could have something to do with lingering party concerns about an irksome electoral issue: primaries. Wicker was a major force in Thad Cochran's run-off campaign, raising an impressive $750,000 to help the seven-term Senator fend off a Tea Party challenge from Chris McDaniel. "He was the superstar of all superstars for Senator Cochran in that run off and I think all his colleagues were playing attention," said Austin Barbour, a Mississippi political consultant who ran Cochran's run-off effort.
 
Wicker voted GOP campaign leader
Sen. Roger Wicker of Tupelo will be part of the leadership team of the new Republican majority in the U.S. Senate. The Republican Conference selected Wicker, who was first elected to the Senate in 2008, as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 2016 elections. The vote came at a meeting Thursday morning in Washington at which Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was elected by acclamation as the incoming Senate majority leader when the GOP takes over the Senate in January. Mississippi's senior U.S. senator, Thad Cochran of Oxford, who won a state-record seventh term on Nov. 4, is expected to serve as chair of the Appropriations Committee in the new Senate. But a spokesman for Cochran said committees' membership and leadership will not be decided, or at least not announced, until January.
 
Mississippi circuit clerks prepare for gay marriage ruling
County circuit clerks across the state of Mississippi are preparing for the possibility of potentially thousands of same-sex couples arriving at courthouses to apply for marriage licenses. If U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves strikes down Mississippi's gay marriage ban and does not put a temporary hold on same-sex marriages, county clerks will likely be flooded with long lines and marriage license applications from same-sex couples. "This is all just very interesting," said Barbara Dunn, circuit clerk of Hinds County. "We will just have to take it all in stride and see what the judge rules, but I know that we could work with any rush on the courthouse for licenses."
 
Going solo on immigration: Obama weighs reform options
Shortly before President Obama left for Asia last weekend, aides gave him an ambitious list of potential actions he can order to change enforcement of immigration laws without congressional approval. Senior aides will give Obama their final recommendations as early as Tuesday. He could make his decision -- and unveil the orders -- soon after, although no date has been set. He may decide to ease the threat of deportation for as many as 5 million foreigners who are in the country illegally. Whatever he decides is likely to enrage Republicans, who warned after they swept last week's midterm election that any executive action on immigration would spoil chances for cooperation with the new GOP-led Congress.
 
What is Vladimir Putin up to sending Russian bombers close to the US?
Russia's announcement Wednesday that it plans to send long-range bombers to patrol the skies of America's backyard over the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico may have sounded to many Americans like the stuff of the Cold War. The Pentagon sought to play down any provocative intentions behind the flights, and some Western officials chalked up Russia's increasingly far-flung military activity to a retrenched power attempting to assert its global presence again. Yet even if Russia has the right to carry out exercises in the international airspace of its choosing, its plans to patrol the skies around the US seem more consequential because of the context they would occur in: Across the Atlantic over recent weeks, Russia has increasingly pushed the envelope by regular incursions into the airspace of jittery former Soviet republics. The question that has US Defense Department officials and Russia analysts buzzing is, What is Russia up to?
 
Americans' Cellphones Targeted in Secret U.S. Spy Program
The Justice Department is scooping up data from thousands of mobile phones through devices deployed on airplanes that mimic cellphone towers, a high-tech hunt for criminal suspects that is snagging a large number of innocent Americans, according to people familiar with the operations. The U.S. Marshals Service program, which became fully functional around 2007, operates Cessna aircraft from at least five metropolitan-area airports, with a flying range covering most of the U.S. population, according to people familiar with the program. People with knowledge of the program wouldn't discuss the frequency or duration of such flights, but said they take place on a regular basis. A Justice Department official would neither confirm nor deny the existence of such a program.
 
U. of Southern Mississippi constructing new parking lot
People driving to Southern Miss will soon have dozens of new places to park their cars on the southwest part of the campus. A new 148-space parking lot is being built just across the the street from the College of Arts and Letters. It will have an elevated surface and plenty of lighting, according to Chris Crenshaw, associate vice-president for facilities, planning and management at USM. Construction began about two months ago. Phase one should be complete by the end of December. Phase two is scheduled to be finished by March.
 
Woodall technology center celebrates 10th year at Pearl River Community College
Since opening in 2004, thousands of workers have trained at Pearl River Community College's Lowery A. Woodall Advanced Technology Center in Hattiesburg. After community college workforce training, the average employee saw a $3,211 increase in wages. And the annual average wage for an employee who completed the training is $32,900. The average student is between 26-55, and about 55 percent work in the medical/health care field. These were a few statistics shared Thursday by Scott Alsobrooks, Pearl River Community College vice president for economic and community development, during the Area Development Partnership's Local Industry Luncheon. "There was a need in the 1990s to develop an advanced technology center, but it was a tremendous political battle to make the center a reality," said PRCC President William Lewis, who explained there was a rift between PRCC and Jones County Junior College about the facility's location.
 
LSU audit of Alumni Association still not released
LSU has not yet released the full third-party audits of its Alumni Association, but a letter from the auditing firm confirms it found no evidence of irregularities or misspent funds. "The LSU community, and all friends and supporters of the Alumni Association, should find great comfort in the fact that two independent reviews by well-established and respected accounting firms, found no evidence of inappropriate use of Alumni Association funds or assets," reads the letter, signed by Douglas K. Williams, of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson LLP. The audits were ordered after a former Alumni Association employee claimed in a lawsuit that she was being paid off to conceal a sexual relationship with former alumni head Charlie Roberts.
 
Base pay for U. of Florida's new president almost double that for most other state universities
Incoming University of Florida President Kent Fuchs will be the highest-paid public university president in the state when he begins his job Jan. 1. At $860,000, it is the highest base salary of any of the other Florida university presidents, and almost double the base salary for many of them. With an annual deferred payment of $180,000 it puts him into the million-dollar bracket. That's comparable to the $865,000 compensation package Fuchs' boss at Cornell, outgoing President David Skorton, earned in 2012. Thursday was Fuchs' last day as provost at Cornell. But it's also well over the $500,000 base salary for outgoing UF President Bernie Machen, whose total salary package with benefits during his last year as president is around $730,000.
 
Fowlers Donate $2.93M to Chancellor's Residence Expansion at U. of Arkansas
The chancellor's home on the University of Arkansas campus is getting an upgrade thanks to a hefty gift from its namesakes. Wallace W. and Jama M. Fowler of Jonesboro pledged $2.93 million to an effort to expand the residence, adding room to host large dinners, receptions and other special events. Construction on the Fowler House Garden & Conservatory is pending approval from the university's board of trustees. In addition to the hospitality offerings, the money will allow for the creation of a garden area for large events with enough seating for 250 guests. Flower beds, trees and improvements of the general aesthetics in the space in front of Razorback Road are among the items to be addressed. In the six years since its completion, the Fowler House has been host to more than 800 events and more than 17,000 guests, including former President Bill Clinton and several presidential cabinet members, U.S. senators and governors.
 
Slain U. of South Carolina student remembered as good student, 'great mother'
Diamoney Greene, the University of South Carolina student who was found dead Tuesday evening, was remembered Thursday as someone who brought a glow into any room she walked into -- always smiling and upbeat -- as well as a great mother to her young daughter. Greene, 20, was found shot to death in her apartment at the Copper Beech complex, along with 21-year-old Brandon Early, who had shot her, then himself in an apparent murder-suicide, according to Richland County officials. Deputies confirmed Thursday that Early and Greene were involved in a relationship. But it's unclear how long they were together. In the wake of the tragedy, those who knew Greene are taking the time to mourn her death but also remember her as someone who had a joyful passion for life.
 
Number of college employees declines slightly
The academic workforce is shrinking. Not by much, mind you: the number of faculty members and administrators at colleges eligible to award federal financial aid declined by a mere 7,500 from 2012 to 2013, according to new Education Department statistics. But the dip, however small, is the first in many years. And it comes after a period of steady and at times sharp expansion of college staffs, which often accompanied sizable increases in student enrollments. Staffing at public colleges over all grew slightly from 2012 to 2013, edging up to 2,549,850 from 2,534,848, a half-percentage-point increase. While the number of employees overall dipped, the number and proportion of campus staff members on the academic side of the house appears to have risen from 2012 to 2013.
 
West Virginia University halts fraternity, sorority activity after medical emergency
West Virginia University has suspended all Greek activities after a freshman was hospitalized in what the school calls a "catastrophic medical emergency" at a fraternity house. Nolan Burch was rushed to the hospital after an incident at the Kappa Sigma house around midnight Wednesday, said WVU Dean of Students Corey Farris said. Burch's family has posted on social media Thursday night that he was unresponsive and in intensive care. The suspension of fraternity and sorority activities could last until the end of the semester, Farris said.
 
A Botched Study Raises Bigger Questions
New Orleans, where nine of 10 children attend charter schools, has perhaps the most scrutinized public school system in the country. And since Hurricane Katrina, a major source of information about the city's schools has been the Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives, a research group connected with Tulane University. Now, its leader, John Ayers, has announced his resignation, a few weeks after the Institute retracted one of its bigger reports, one that seemed to find bright spots for students and schools in the struggling city. The Cowen Institute has refused to explain the retraction, saying only that it was the methodology that was flawed, not the underlying numbers. And that's exactly why education watchers around the country should care. The report attempted to use an approach called value-added modeling. And value-added is currently the golden fleece for anyone questing after what's really working in education.
 
WYATT EMMERICH (OPINION): Epps may be the tip of an iceberg
Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: " The news about Chris Epps was a bombshell. It reinforces many unfortunate stereotypes about corruption in the Deep South, especially regarding our prison system. Epps and his alleged co-conspirator have pled not guilty, so we need to be careful not to rush our judgments. The federal government has a long history of being overzealous in its crusades. Nevertheless, the allegations disclosed in the indictment seem at first blush to be overwhelming, with multiple incidents of Epps' home and beach condo mortgages being paid directly by his accused briber, Rankin County politician Cecil McCrory."


SPORTS
 
Mississippi State faces biggest stakes in game at Alabama
The stakes have increased each week in the Mississippi State football team's 9-0 start to the season. It started with a 34-29 win at then-No. 8 LSU on Sept. 20, and continued through a two-game home stretch that included victories against then-No. 6 Texas A&M and then-No. 2 Auburn. Along the way, the Bulldogs have stretched their winning streak to 12 games, climbed to the top of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, and ascended to No. 1 in the two major national polls. "The thing about this league is that when you win a big game, your reward is an ever bigger game the next week," MSU coach Dan Mullen said. "With everything we've done, No. 1 ranking and all, it just means the games get bigger and bigger each week." MSU's biggest game in school history could be set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday (WCBI) when No. 1 MSU will face No. 4 Alabama at Bryant Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in a game with SEC and national championship implications.
 
Lucky seven? Bulldogs out to end six-game skid to Nick Saban
Alabama's Nick Saban owns an 11-1 record against Mississippi State and has won six straight against the Bulldogs by a combined score of 175-41. However, this year's annual Highway 82 rivalry has the added stakes of both teams ranking inside the top five for the first time in 100 meetings. "Mississippi State, based on their body of work, has proven that they have one of the best football teams overall in the country," Saban said. "This is a really, really well coached, solid team that has a lot of good players. They are a senior team that has a lot of experience. This is going to be a challenge for us to bounce back and play our best football of the season against probably the best team we've played all year."
 
Can Mississippi State DBs hang with Amari Cooper?
Mississippi State's pass defense will be a target for Alabama quarterback Blake Sims. The No. 1 Bulldogs head into Tuscaloosa Saturday ranked No. 120th in that unit. And for Sims, a senior, he has one of the best receivers in the country in Amari Cooper. Cooper is second in receiving yards (1,132) and fourth in receptions (79). Compare that to MSU's top four pass-catchers, who combine for 78 receptions for 1,034 yards. "The key and throughout the season, you kind of notice people when they go against Alabama's offense is making sure they understand where (Cooper) is," MSU defensive coordinator Geoff Collins said. "He's such a pivotal role in that offense." Even with Cooper threatening the secondary, MSU insists its coverages won't change.
 
Unbeaten and No. 1 in the nation, Mississippi State still playing with chip on its shoulder
Where is Rodney Dangerfield when you need him? These Mississippi State Bulldogs are unbeaten (9-0, 5-0 SEC), top-ranked in every poll, including the most important one, the College Football Playoff rankings. And getting little respect this week. Yet they are the first team in the history of the Associated Press poll to go from unranked to No. 1, but find themselves as nearly a double-digit underdog heading into Saturday's 2:30 p.m. matchup at No. 5 Alabama (8-1, 5-1). "Everybody's ready to get back to our ball playing as underdogs," MSU offensive lineman Ben Beckwith said. "Coming out and having no stress on us, everybody's picking us to go in there and get killed or whatever. We have no expectations but to go in there and do our own thing."
 
Mississippi State's hype video for Alabama: 'I'm not afraid, I'm angry'
After short hiatus, Mississippi State returned to the big screen to capture motivation for its weekly hype video. For the game against Alabama, MSU turned to "The Dark Knight Rises." The movie is quoted, "I'm not afraid, I'm angry." MSU has used inspiration from "Breaking Bad" and "Iron Man" in previous hype videos. It encompasses No. 1 Mississippi State's attitude toward the matchup with No. 4 Alabama perfectly.
 
How much for a Bulldog vs. Bama ticket now?
Ticket prices for the Mississippi State-Alabama State game are now listing for twice their face value. Fans are paying an average of $275 on the secondary market for a ticket to Saturday's game at Bryant-Denny Stadium, making it the most in-demand game of the weekend in college football. Ticket prices for this game have more than doubled since the first weekend of the season, when seats were reselling for $127 on average with some available for as little as $87 each. Over just the past month, the average ticket price has jumped 60% from $172 on Oct. 11, the day Mississippi State beat Auburn, to $275 today.
 
ESPN's SportsCenter to make Tuscaloosa debut
ESPN's SportsCenter will air, for the first time, its entire show live from a set at the Walk of Champions at Bryant-Denny Stadium from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today and at 7 a.m. Saturday. Jonathan Whyley, the coordinating producer of the sports network's flagship news show, said this is the first football season SportsCenter has taken its entire set on the road. He said the road show is an effort to give fans a more authentic feel of being at a game while watching from home. Whyley said ESPN chose to bring SportsCenter to Tuscaloosa this week because of the importance of the game between the top-ranked Bulldogs and the Tide. "We thought this was a game we had to be at," he said.
 
Mississippi State's Ray ready to go with more weapons, greater depth
Trivante Bloodman glanced around the court and grinned. With the Mississippi State men's basketball team owning a 20-point lead in its exhibition game against Delta State last week, Bloodman couldn't suppress the smile. "I know you all saw me smiling out there," Bloodman said after the game. "I've been waiting for this for a long time. I'm just seeing our team play with a lot more confidence, and we just have a totally different atmosphere around our team. It's going to be a fun season." That was Bloodman's takeaway from a 72-51 victory against Delta State. At 5:30 tonight (SEC Network+), MSU will have a chance to start backing up its senior point guard's confidence when it plays host to Western Carolina in its season opener at Humphrey Coliseum.
 
Mississippi State women ready to put expectations to the test
It's time to put the expectations to the test. The Mississippi State women's basketball team has been looking forward to a new campaign ever since it suffered a season-ending loss to South Florida in the quarterfinals of the Women's National Invitation Tournament on March 30. While the postseason run -- the program's first since a trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament in 2010 -- reflected the growth of the players in the second year under coach Vic Schaefer and his staff, the Bulldogs had even more to be excited about considering a talented recruiting class led by Victoria Vivians, the state's all-time leading high school scorer, was on its way. The anticipation has been rising to see how the new teams fares when the games count. MSU will get that opportunity at 8 tonight (SEC Network +) when it plays host to Mercer in the opening round of the Preseason WNIT at Humphrey Coliseum.
 
NCAA drama overshadows Donnie Tyndall's much-anticipated Tennessee debut
This was supposed to be a story about a basketball coach who worked and worked until his sport finally rewarded his grind. And maybe it will end that way. But when Tennessee tips off against No. 15 VCU at Alumni Hall on Friday (TV: CBS Sports Net, 6:30 p.m.), the first chapter of the Donnie Tyndall era will go down as, well, complicated. A week after Tyndall's sit-down with the News Sentinel, Southern Miss announced it was cooperating with the NCAA to review the basketball program Tyndall coached from April 2012 to April 2014. Clarke, the star recruit of UT's 2015 class, flipped to Virginia Tech the same day. The NCAA's primary focus, according to multiple reports, is if Southern Miss players received improper financial support.
 
Bjork makes push to keep Freeze at Ole Miss
Ole Miss athletics director Ross Bjork wants to act rather than react with his football coach. Bjork told the Daily Journal this week that he has begun a "process of engagement" with the legal representation of Rebels coach Hugh Freeze. Last December Freeze received a contract extension and a raise to $3 million in annual salary. If all of seven incentives are reached added compensation is roughly $1.1 million. Freeze is represented by Memphis-based agent Jimmy Sexton. "We'll continue the same type of format that as the season winds down, the regular season ends, that we'll be in a position again to solidify coach and his staff and his future around continuing to invest in Ole Miss football," Bjork said.
 
The Grove at Ole Miss tops poll of best places in the nation to tailgate
Ahead of the college football season, The Associated Press asked its panel of voters in the Top 25 poll to weigh in on the spots around the country to tailgate. Ole Miss took to the top spot and the Southeastern Conference was well-represented. Go to LSU (No. 2) for the food. At No. 3 Washington and No. 4 Tennessee, you can sailgate, docking a boat outside the stadium. No. 5 Wisconsin and No. 6 Penn State prove the cold weather doesn't stop the party. The rest of the top 10 was South Carolina, Texas, Georgia and Ohio State.
 
LSU preps to tackle the elements for trip to chilly Arkansas
How cold could it be for Saturday night's LSU-Arkansas game? So cold that longtime LSU equipment manager Greg Stringfellow may actually wear long pants. "I always wear shorts," he said. "I can't remember the last time I didn't. As long as there are no issues with snow or something like that, I'll be in shorts for games. I like to be dry, though. "If it snows, I might put rain pants over my shorts. I guess it's kind of a pride thing with some of the equipment managers around the SEC." The chance of snow for Saturday's 7 p.m. kickoff in Fayetteville has abated as the game draws closer. Stringfellow put in a call last week to Nike, LSU's equipment and uniform supplier, to update the team's cold-weather gear.



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