class, the leaders and all that. but there's enough out there still in diaries and letters, especially the to get an idea that to some degree, they are on the same page as their peers. they bought into the rhetoric, so to speak. in my opinion at least. >> and how did you choose to organize the book? >> well, i wanted this book to cover the whole revolution results. about 20 years. and i think i -- i tend to be more of a military historians the bulk of my intention is on the war itself. but i go chronologically. i kind of give a good overview of political events, and some of the little things that happen here in virginia that a lot of people aren't aware of anymore, moving on through the 1760s, 1774 is a year that is overlooked by almost everybody. some really neat things right

here in the county in fact locally. in fairfax county where i teach. so there's a lot of -- it's chronological to answer your question. i go chronologically. >> we've been speaking with mike cecere, author of "great things are expected from the virginians: virginia in the american revolution." >> thank you. >> from the 2000 miami book festival, with author rich cohen who explores little-known facts about jewish culture in his book, israel israel. israeli-american writer joel schalit examines israel's image around the world in his latest work israel versus utopia.

and former bush administration official dan senor, who discusses israeli economic successes and his co-authored work "start-up nation." the program is an hour and 15 minutes. >> thank you. if i could, i'd just like to tell you a quick story about my first encounter with florida. prior to coming out here 18 months ago, i thought it would be prudent to do my home research and see what was that i would be coming to live and bring in my family to live. and the one returned theme i kept on coming up against, where ever i looked was that you call this place the sunshine state. the sunshine state. i have never seen so much rain and all my life. [laughter] >> welcome to the miami book

fair panel on israel themed books. we've got here today three authors, some of whom, i should do some of whom, we are talking about three. up both an american and an israeli and american israeli on a variety of different things. one of the constants problems i have as an israeli diplomat, wherever i go in the world is that the only thing anybody ever wants to speak to me about is the israel arab conflict. because they want to include iran which is an error so you talk about the israel and middle east conflict. we also have today angles of israel which are touching on other aspects and visual, the israeli economy, if a society. and sometimes it's just very

refreshing to able to get a grip on what israel is really about. i would like to welcome to the understate are asked to come up to the stage and welcome our three authors, rich cohen, who wrote the book, if he is looking you will join us now, "israel is real," which many of you have me remember the old saying with them is the of israel, israel israel. joel schalit, "israel v. utopia. and then dan senor, "start-up nation." sometime they will join us. [laughter] >> here they are. [applause] >> i'm not going to speak too much about the authors other than to say that one and two halves of the three books i have read, and i'm working through the second two halves still. and thoroughly enjoying it.

i encourage you to really to ask questions, to engage with them to hear their ideas. going to start off with each person giving a short introduction. mostly about the book, maybe also about themselves. so once again, thank you for coming. welcome. gentlemen? [applause] >> all right. first of all i understand this is on c-span which is good because i can tell my mom, the roast beef sandwich is in the crisper. [laughter] >> i have to hide it from my father. so my book is called "israel is real" which is from a t-shirt that was very popular when i was a kid, and i like it because it had this kind of dual meeting, which is it's like this play on words. but it also i thought expressed this idea that israel had in a sense not been real and that you couldn't get on a plane and go there. for 2000 years. and then in the lifetime of my

father, it became real again. and i have sort of the rule with books, which is i tried, if i tried to go find a book to read and i can't find it, then i try to write it. basically, i felt like with this topic, everything about israel was so political, and it was so much about the argument and i felt that when the argument started sort of the story was lost. when i was interested in doing was get back some of the epic quality, some of the poultry and some of the really amazing strangeness of the story of israel, not just as a nation, but as an idea. i grew up in the midwest, and i went to a synagogue in illinois where the judaism we were taught was good, and also sort of boring. and i felt that like in the way it had been intentionally made boring. because i always thought it was sort of a simulation thing. so that if a christian happen into her synagogue, they would go, this looks like it was.

no problem. carry on as you were. [laughter] >> to some extent what i want to do with the book was kind of make jewish history strange again. and really get into all the details of all the different people. and basically i wanted to sort of answer some of the very simple questions that i felt were never asked and never answered when i was a kid. may be so simple that people did ask them. and those are questions like, who was the first zionist? you know, theodor herzl wrote the book the jewish state and is considered the father of modern zionism but there were people before him, who was a? also, if a jewish life in europe was so terrible why did it take so long for there to be a martyr state of israel? why did it take all those years for it to happen? and what is sort of the existence of israel mean and how has it changed, what it means to be jewish everywhere? and i very much wanted to tell this to individual characters, people, but i thought were important at different

individual errors. and i really saw it as kind of a painting that if you, you see of those paintings were when you get right up close it looks like there's all these little individual pictures, but when you step back you realize all the individual pictures together make one big picture. that sort of how i saw my book and it's sort of how icy jewish history. and what i was trying to do. something i was very interested in were false messiahs from the middle ages, because to me this group of people that every generation in the middle ages in europe rose up and says i am the messiah of the backs. i'm going to rebuild the temple. were exotic, hard to understand figures but in another way were completely understandable, because they were scrubbed other religious like which. they were sort of proto- zionist. i was going to read something from the book very quickly and it was about my favorite false messiahs. you have a favorite false messiahs like you have a favorite band or anything else

and i am thinking of putting out false beside trading cards. [laughter] >> think of david al gore, one of the many false messiahs. he was crazy every day from the moment he got up to the moment he lay down. but it was a kind of crazy that is captivating, convincing. he was born in a muslim cares in town and was now kurdistan. his given name was mock him but he renamed himself david when he began a prophecy. follow me to jerusalem, retention is at hand. he went from town to town, synagogue to synagogue, spreading the news. his words were electric. he made people as drunk as one. men gave away their possessions and join him. of course, anyone can call himself the messiah and announced the end of time, and many do. in fact, as i sit in my apartment on broadway on the westside of manhattan a man walks in the street below

calling for me and the other people in my building to cast aside our jobs and follow him. because the end is now. we call this man broadway jesus. he's in the street every day, and though he is persistent, i do not follow him. because i am busy, and he is crazy. [laughter] >> what makes a false messiah notable after all is not the false part, but the messiah part to be a false messiah you must be a real messiah first. you must be even more charismatic than a we'll messiah to his with god, whereas a false messiah is alone. you must convince people you have the answer, that there is an urgency in what you say. your words and your manner must carry me out of my life against my better judgment. this is what turns the run-of-the-mill broadway jesus into a messiah. and it's precisely this quality that cannot be captured and written accounts which is why stories about people like david our voip who one day, was alone and the next day was surrounded

by men who had forsaken everything or so hard to understand. the missing piece is the only piece that matters. that wild spark or claim that people fall as the hebrews followed the column of fire through the desert. he sent long letters to the leaders of the jewish community and baghdad in which he urged them to take up arms, crossed the waste and join him. thousands came. they called him the king of the jews. we don't know what he look like, he lived in the muslim world where image making was a sin. this is thought to be an obstacle, but i think it is a boom. a picture is a moment in a sea of moments. so it distorts as much as it reveals. until the hunt is more vivid without a picture. as is king david, as is crazy or is. in the picture, david outgrow it would be a stick figure in period costume. without he is wild haired. with happy eyes and dressed in a suit pulled from a dumpster on skid row. he stands in the streets

screaming, your fathers or to attribute the mr. t. said he would attack the garrison, dried out the errors and purify the town then leave his ragged army to palestine. in old books his story builds, then soon after he sounds a battle cry, his arm is gone, he is gone. it's a story without the finish. according to most dollars, this probably means the rebellion was crushed and outright execute. over the years, ms. were invented to us by what might happen or should happen. in other words, people wrote their own ending. in sum, david alroy is go. and some he is captured. in sum, he flees to jerusalem. in some he wanders the streets weeping and crying, absalom, and sunday vanishes into the hills that in some he falls in love with a group of highwayman. in some he falls in love but his love is unrequited. and some he survives and gets married and realizes too late

that he has married the wrong woman. he is a glutton and grows fat and tells his story but no one believes it's an. in some he gives his destiny for a happy life of not worrying about the jews. david alroy became a fantastic figure in the imagination of his people. dozens of sorts have been written, but the most terrific was recorded by benjamin tudo, a jewish merchant who kept a diary during his travels in the east that he sometimes called the jewish marco polo. he was in kurdistan soon after the disappearance of transit and heard the story everywhere. and the most frequent telling, alroy at the height of his fame is summoned to damascus. he has made to stand, through half closed eyes he was asked are you the king of the jews? it is as you say, says alroy. he calls a guard who shot goes alroy and locked him in a cage. the next day while he is meeting

his advisers, discussing what should be done with the heretic, alroy himself appears in the room. he has broken free of his chains and walks through the bars that he is harry houdini, or harry houdini, a jews of appleton wisconsin whose real name was eric, was an echo of david alroy, the jew in possession of the dark knows. he was was ordered to cease. eocene again hours later on the outskirts of

closed captioning provided by madison square garden networks he bown in professionals wh ontro ne now the ith

in p t bod ths corpn ongame >> ople w th were b we o seplaycomeest at tn behe m optimal as they can. ♪ r pl scras come out gges in ll auys ver the wheirstd at ste sathisr minor leaguer paired his insider

us with a degr defit it to big r ingent. >> pphy at w goi at'sfor s an we're to move this stryat there's a q quo xisteen players and the revenues of the game. if the revenues go down, i'll be revconto go i'l be tst t tel the it's unbelievable what you guys do. tell us the things besides negotiating contracts you do. >> r that you want the player achis go i doink ou'ring you' en aall , yo

t rehink ink th pla foun is ere ject to,can ake s opand verytunibeco best our phil is nog toate ves on t. are to evaluate ves we e an what. the thint kn whfeelport whenrs gund theystane ar mes see hen 're goodhere timellm 're alwll tu're ing m where bad. the

g. ithe hreee fi ghest paid players in the me, is domething ri and ientquic si pra >> hthe nfor. hehe m aboubusind h wasg wheramilcomi hether i need something, need help or a alhere 's flass >> ia gu scoas to sell me. f th, bands greg ll tves. for me, a lot of teams incigivechance. best inall. he'sto gyers jefelmane o boramer s. now fol according to him, it's the work thin s of

een any big r yo ayind aning the corpn? thire'se su. i the su com ere w mudo. i -- layere a and the company does for players nviso th that w of fort weing e byng thisity er, ng f anthem unde whavolv r des. y caus aable atio thess indas a e ha greom a ial ctiveres rspearou wor it bee i pln th'80sy . we were talking about some of the levels of salaries. you could never imagine where it went, but we do a good job of doing the research and where we think it's going to go, but i think it has exceeded pretty much everyone's expectations.

♪ grew up in a small town and when the rain would fall down ♪ ♪'d jare indo♪ ♪ dreof w ld b nd uy ♪ ♪ i would pray i could way

♪'ll my ll low t ♪ ♪ ♪ i gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a chand away♪ ♪ feewarm br ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ away ♪ ♪ and awa ♪ othe ss 7 ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ -wayt

orasco is gam c in tld os entabut not de bre contracts that set them apart. as scott boras showed me around their facility also offers hisyers itie bey retati the barg fr s

tingse c aw pro variety of fields. man e thy of e kle whable to rehis car a ric a i one of you nts,ureouivehe emotionyer,o el'sou muavelike an or. did al wat? a tous ct a pitchen ldn' lateh haened othte. he'sat h hoyou ith >> of ow w t ouwe'v en t somhat ous asrs b whu ju't g do you'e ite an cagurehy at to n harvfen of foreportholoin spore's bpart

ourrgann knoy si the 0s. 's bart of onsh i thmetiu cag wn pl exce t at. timecan your exce wher s wh beeikeat, y feelyou'que. timefeelolat and whenhapp a . thety te so tha himutti in witle tn he sesely, thounybo to a wgoin gio waough issha p hwalkgh. ink dersg of at, e's g to undeing an rstapersthe nitit and som i thi our any eal >>her es, ing encive tth o ere? emplchol, ha sportsness instgood business no andave?

>> w't p helogists, we employ em. on'te thers our fitnsti thviceere em. ay fenseee ers ve tound coun it's v eve oces our was,nt andnt g nage wanle i industry to know we' her st t co herese w ga we'r bec e pl bey ca opas tcan. ith prised to learn that one thing you won't see boras corp offer is direct financial services. >> in the agency business, the reeybablhe nciad. n inhesers' y anhing youa le trun presem.

majof ag hav ousecialthat theyde f pla a li fet wa conff in. waners e to me wey hoble i don't want to be involved in any of their investing. i don't think it's ethical. i'm not saying for those that do do it that it's unethical, but for me it n tight ing >>movif-in, ras lienl tablng t as uly le a w w him lifo w h fro use was con abo yourder. muchactither beyou ott? you thes mu inten asayer. ow? u kn i n tal his juhone i go my ss o e fi

i wd, t tha ersolatis an o muey ae, i ingsgot in t at ovalr pla rah coclie ng s scoling w lkint t nkeelry. brou min fig betwo ofclie wereatche gan ook >> yeah wing the game thinas jnd alex. wed a , twhree hoseents s aring fferpes tles the heats of tent. u trtay l on those things, obviously. >> how do you? >> you get to know these guys pretty well and know what they're about. you're rooting for both of them. it's a tough situation to be inx eveg ofto

lients, cornerstone for the company has always been its wealth of istiform weae cofree in atio ile o sehat e cosees infon asbly st

ul t you e though theiquar >>, wh comhis , itlace you havengs. can ood. i'm surke t tomy n up very ese are guys that have had great s. than u dure cof th we hl ths on our eatsr inr aftegamecome withlaye we playhe ghey h. we-- pmuchow ourts dng t courthe upd wethe y toer than at aura riva we ur hen whicone cookthem. cantalkeall fran lotin a od o thaws u kinde whe pls. ave tabaking ettyanytvail ur cmay o s wh's ang t ursee yehis er.

n plit alook som of ch lity >>is s offre. m sut, we to a , yofindhat are on y ba >> ildi ate--artolog weuse latd st togy,er i workrs, in, thllitems th we eopl are ter am manat sfor llown a mentment kee ack t ouers dohat'g ong sease ofon a theis. d he comte w them ou ow,heyld b g hficuform riodiffi p on and e fi it'stants toa g inurreent 's hng wem. hisre, have the numbers oncree you al goming up. >> we've been able to -- some of

ed e tech, wean ie sya co sys viou it'smizeonly our s' performance video, the audeo litihave asila tv er, se te. we hr ownelswe yersd bybora t ake ney. akeso go >>t the reon. u kn hasgood ele so h his ho. i dealth ation caree . meanuts er a kinds of stats that just blows everybody's minds.

and he's got good core guys, good players that play the game the right way.

ers. and ll the success stories and unk you o that luc dea

wo calut fas to ts gtouc t it sinlove ba thas thany win heirts. jeffar a invnt orasratiw di comt? >> it came about when i retired from playing. my official playing days, scott was my representative, attorney when i played. he suggested i might try working im few weeks and see i lt be to wase suf '92. i've been here ever since. s a pla'm rpriw mueted atio gure a ent, atioign a piece of paper tha , ev's d >> w nmen, thfit retinglayet has he ytry eateviroin o builhat cou mess thmesss weout ba pland bl playly. thhat ssio

thhat ckgrs as plor at ofame emplhavein. h always been around the game of baseball. we wanted to make that statement, that's what we do, that have helped the company get to where it is over the years. there are pictures of them, players that have won awards on the field. we also wanted to create an environment for our employees where we can dedicate the long hours we put in to doing a great job for supporting them. >> staffed with guys who know their baseball from boras to musselman, boras corp knows the game. and the company is able to deploy any number of ees alk lk ain mark. >> who goes in to recruit the player, make the relationship happen? >> we'ldintion ousl coawith s, wayer atmateel. hav sti as

foplayb brerd up our draft divi mike fiori. and those guys are out there erro tionit'sup esen. weo bre res in arened at ificr. atevmay ling atevues be ing we tlookur res sine theg ou res toable etheealih th parting to understand the tax implications of a contract or understanding the environment in which they're going to live. there's a lot of different things we try to do early on in their careers to get them prepared for the decisions they'll make it a year or two out of the draft. >> mike pelphrey is one guy who has been advised by boras since his high school days.

like mike teixeira, pelas as cent whoad enough trust in ras' advice to forgrt-t paydimprs lom cts. thin t p ofntergadvi agenll t uff, y know sedselfm e re at t alwen g me. yo, think you know when yoo ntionh thth gde, you the mosof i the corof d ss, s tedraf s to col ningf hiool, thit hariat ns a bas t seen from the inside, can at ie pl fintalat hn e foon for all the success.

youyersr pl ethewant to collheth dont to g. he had all the information 's vepar he jally carll hists, indi ned mare tke the right decisions.

the images from haiti are heart-breaking-- homes, hospitals, and schools destroyed; families searching for loved ones; parents trying to feed their children. but we can all do something. we can help the american red cross as it delivers the food, water, and medicine that can save lives. donate $10 by texting "haiti" to 9-0-9-9-9. visit redcross.org or call 1-800-red-cross. thanks for your help.

today on the s.e.c. network, a west division match-up. mississippi state on a two-game slide taking on l.s.u. jarvis varnado and company trying to keep the tigers winless in the conference. winless in the conference. s.e.c. is coming up right now! [captioning made possible by espn] ♪ patterson, inbounds, cousins. expire! they win! [ applause ] >> if you listen closely, the party is still going on in

columbia, south carolina right now. welcome to the s.e.c. network studios and s.e.c. tip-off. whit watson with barry booker. great to have you with us. we're down to one. one team still unbeaten in league play. it's not kentucky. >> barry: who would have thunk it would be the vanderbilt commodores? they're playing well. winners of ten straight. and just flat rolling lately. they are a great offensive team. and getting better defensively. that's where they need to focus. we'll see what they can do against that great kentucky team in lexington. angry wildcats. that will be great this afternoon. >> whit: yeah, the month of january has been the cruelest month for top-ranked teams. kentucky, third number one to lose joining kansas and texas this month. as mentioned, later today, the cats play vanderbilt. now a huge game in the s.e.c. more on that coming up. meanwhile, south carolina beat the top-ranked team for the first time in school history. downey was unbelievable in this game. more on that later. kentucky also created some

self-inflicted wounds, barry. 15 turnovers in that game. >> barry: yeah. they are inexperienced team a. they start the two freshmen in the back court and they at times have difficulty getting off good shots with the turnovers. and their shot selection can be suspect as well. but you see they're trying to get in transition. and just playing a little bit faster than they should. in this situation. on the road. against the solid team. those turnovers really kept south carolina in the ballgame. along with the offensive rebounding that south carolina was able to take advantage of, because downey could get anywhere on the court that he wanted to. broke down that kentucky defense. and the gamecocks were all over the offensive backboards. they got 20 in the game. whenever south carolina needed points or a big play, downey was there to produce for his club. >> whit: they say on tuesday it was a texting game. where you text your friends and say are you watching what this kid is doing at kentucky right now? 30 points in the game for downey. he got anything he wanted in the last five minutes of the

game. when he plays a conference opponet opponent, his eyes wide up a little bit. gamecocks games thus far and downey's scoring average by conference comp jumps by almost 13 points a game and much of that beyond the arc. he's a 10% better free-throw shooter against the s.e.c. than against non-conference opposition. so kentucky loses. florida won four in a row after 0-2 start in the s.e.c. and now the east is very interesting. heading to february. a look at the havoline road to nashville, site of the 2010 s.e.c. men's basketball tournament. vanderbilt up top 5-0. they won ten straight overall. kentucky's 4-1. florida as mentioned they won four straight in the conference after starting 0-2. tennessee has lost two in a row. maybe the short bench catching up to them. they are 3-2 in the conference. those numbers make today's meeting between vandy and kentucky even bigger. vanderbilt, 21st in the country. recently beating tennessee at knoxville on wednesday.

for the first time since 2005. bruce pearl said after that game jermaine beal is the guy that makes vandy go. 25 against the volunteers. >> barry: wednesday night it was jermaine beal, but vanderbilt is a balanced ball club. they have four players who can jump up and get 25 points on any given night. jermaine beal was the guy on wednesday knocking down some three-point shots, especially in the second half. he took complete control of that game. he does not turn the basketball over. he gets the commodores good shots on every trip. this game at kentucky, if vanderbilt can pull that off and get two-game lead against kentucky with a home win against the wildcats, they will have a stranglehold in the race to win the s.e.c. this year. >> whit: that game was a tie game at about the nine-minute mark. vanderbilt went on an 18-4 run over the next four minutes. it got chippy against tennessee. so the question is: can the commodores keep their composure in lexington the way they did in knoxville? >> barry: the commodores have

gone to lexington and won a couple of games up there over the last five years or so. vanderbilt, they're so deep, they have players they can turn so to. if things get chippy, one guy gets out of control, kevin stallings can go to that bench and pull other guys in the game. but the commodores, this team has a toughness about them. they can handle anything that their opposition throws at them. >> whit: speaking of eyes lighting up, look at what vanderbilt does when they face conference op to six. lead the league in scoring in s.e.c. games. also field goal percentage and three-point shooting. they're top three in the conference in conference games in rebounding margin, blocked shots and assists. coming up, tomorrow it's florida and tennessee. the gators on a roll. vols trying to stop a slide. we'll get to that game in a moment on s.e.c. tip-off.

now he's got him. walker. they double-team him. he got through it. off the glass. he got it! florida with a chance, though. they're down one. walker. runs it up.

persons for the win. he got it! [ cheering ] >> whit: the florida gators got another buzzer-beater from chandler parsons last week to beat south carolina. they follow that with a win over georgia on wednesday. and that's four straight wins in the s.e.c. tennessee has lost two in a row after a 115-2 start but they've been tough against the gators in knoxville winning seven of the last eight at thompson-bolling. that game is tomorrow. back in studio with barry booker, i'm whit watson. the gators' recent win against a tough georgia team. tyias had 23 for florida. back at the natural four spot, power forward position after mackland transferred in. it's working with tias averaging seven rebounds a game. >> barry: a big move for florida to get alex at his natural position where he's not wrestling the be big centers. he is able to step away from the basket and has more favorable match-ups when he's posting up and trying to crash the boards where he has been

dominant getting after it on the backboard for the gators. alex tias and macklund and parsons, nores has a lot of size. not a lot of depth on the perimeter but solid inside around the basket. >> whit: outstanding freshman, we talk about the kentucky freshmen. every weekend you have to mention kenny boiykins. >> barry: playing under control and unselfishly, he's rolling for florida, knocking down the three-point shot. gators doing a good job beyond the three-point arc. that seemed to be a question early on. but the gators in conference games shooting 38% from three-point range. really effective outside. so far this year. >> whit: now on the tennessee side, wayne chism, 16 rebounds in a loss to vanderbilt on wednesday. he seems to do whatever the team needs. some nights it s it's on the gl. other nights it other places. >> barry: they need to score on the glass.

and wayne chism had injury problems, tailbone problem before christmas and has a sprained knee now that he suffered at the end of the alabama game. but wayne chism struggling with his health, after the georgia game that he had the injury to the knee. the vols really need him to be effective around the basket. they have to attack the basket. their entire team, they're effective around the rim but not good from three-point range. >> whit: let's look at the west division in the southeast conference where ole miss climbed in the lead on a three-game winning streak. mississippi state lost two in a row after 3-0 start in conference play. alabama has won two in a row. they face auburn today. that game is on the s.e.c. network. our early game finds mississippi state trying to right the ship. they take on the winless l.s.u. tigers. dave baker and joe dean jr. have the preview. >> the newscasters saying whether l weather like this, don't leave your dog outside. they're ready to go here as

mississippi state looks to bounce back from a two-game losing streak hosting l.s.u. i'm dave baker alongside joe dean jr. the cold weather gripped all of the south. but my hip state three-point shooting went deep threes a week ago. >> you're right. they come in here ranked the number one three-point shooting team in the s.e.c. two road games last week, alabama and arkansas, both losses they struggled. you can see the numbers, ravern johnson, one of the top shooters and dee bost couldn't hit anything. the team as a whole, 15 of 75. they're back home at the hump today where they feel much more comfortable. i suspect they'll shoot it better today. >> if l.s.u. is to have a shot today they have to get a big has shown he has do it before. we find out what happens when we tip it off at the hump at 1:47 eastern. >> whit: all right, guys. that game coming up in moments on the s.e.c. network. other games you will see today alabama-auburn, the late game on the s.e.c. network. the marquee match-up vanderbilt-kentucky, 4:00

eastern, 3 central. the gators at 14 tennessee, sunday game tomorrow. now maying tomorrow arkansas at ole miss. some of you may have expected to see that game on the s.e.c. network. you will not. it was postponed due to the bad weather throughout the midsouth. arkansas having travel issues. that game is now on sunday. coming up on the s.e.c. network, l.s.u. tries to win their first in the conference and will state on mississippi state. minutes away from sending you to starkville. so stay with us.

conference news and notes. tim tebow is playing in the senior bowl today despite strep throat. dun maniland plead nothing contest to dui. and florida one of three teams including alabama and auburn expected to have five top recruiting classes this year. directly ahead, l.s.u. and mississippi state. ravern johnson trying to keep l.s.u. winless in league play. barry and i are back at halftime on the s.e.c. network. enjoy the game in starkville. ú

>> dave: welcome in to another great saturday of basketball here on the s.e.c. network! at the hump in starkville, where mississippi state and l.s.u. in a western division battle, both teams badly in need of a win. you see l.s.u., they're 0-6 for the first time in conference since the 1960s. not all that long ago, mississippi state was in the top spot in the west. but two straight road losses have the bulldogs looking for answers as they return home. hi, again, everybody, i'm dave baker alongside a man who played and coached in the league, joe dean, jr. joe, it's been awful shooting for mississippi state. took them from the top to really needing a victory. >> joe: yeah, dave, like a

hitter in baseball going into a slump. mississippi state has been in a shooting slump the last three games. back at home today. more familiar surroundings for them. >> dave: hoping the home crowd at the hump can provide a difference. in terms of the star watch today, joe, one guy on each side that can really get it done? >> joe: two great players. tasmin mitchell with 38 against auburn last week, a handful at the forward spot. and jarvis varnado, the all-time leading shot-blocker in s.e.c. history. >> dave: and we are set to go. tony green, gruder and pat adams, our officiating crew. the opening tap is controlled by dee bost of state. >> joe: l.s.u. starts man-to-man, dave, but we will see them play a lot of zone against mississippi state, challenging their shooters. >> dave: this has been a challenge for the shooters, so the bulldogs go inside early. varnado can't get out. >> joe: mississippi state will

play man-to-man. their bread and butter defense. they'll run full court pressure a little bist against the l.s.u. ball handlers after the made field goals. >> dave: chris beattie got the start today. and spencer on the back sideca. get free. the curl. varnado with a rebound. that is a good, good sign for rick stansbury, because dee bost, as he goes, so goes the basketball team. >> joe: the loss at arkansas last wednesday, dee bost only two for ten. with six turnovers. so rick stansbury wants to see him get back in his game. he's one of the top point guards in the league. >> dave: kodi augustus with the early assignment on tasmin mitchell, a guy who can light it up on any given day. l.s.u. wants to control the tempo, keep the score down in the 50 to have a chance. they're not deep. trying to find some answers. off the drive, that is a

lay-up, that won't fall for aaron dotson. and they finally come out of there with it. ravern johnson with the penetration! and a good start for the home team. [ applause ] >> joe: ravern johnson would have knocked down a three from the outside but the defense rushed him. nobody stepped out to help. rayburn showing nice ball-handling skills on the to offensive end. >> dave: good recognition by johnson, who is third in the s.e.c. in three-point shooting. maybe getting the easy bucket inside. gets him going outside. [ cheering ] nice spin movement. dish to warren. it was blocked out of there by augustus. [ applause ] a tough pass. that's too tall for augustus.

that is the first turnover for mississippi state. tasmin mitchell goes around the double-team. >> joe: you see the nice drop-off, but augustus comes from the help side. and knocks the the ball out. excellent defense. your recovery play right there for the bulldogs. >> dave: 17th block of the year for augustus, who is second on the mississippi state team. primarily on the strength of varnado leads the s.e.c. in blocked shots. [ whistle ] and takes it away. and beattie turns it over. look at starting line-up for the l.s.u. tigers. spencer coming off the off-season surgery. and tasmin mitchell carries the club and won the s.e.c. championship a year ago. for mississippi state, all five starters back from the team that won the s.e.c. tournament championship a year ago. not a lot of depth for rick stansbury. >> joe: they've had injuries

and problems with the depth. sydney, the freshman not cleared to play yet and they were counting on him to get varnado help inside. >> dave: they're still counting on him. we'll talk about that. off the johnson miss. l.s.u. on the attack. >> joe: dee bost trying to deny bass the basketball. keep it out of his hands. he's the point. trying to set the l.s.u. offense. >> dave: bass did not get the start today, though he came in third in the s.e.c. in assists. we'll see how he responds coming off the bench. spencer on the baseline. stewart had good position but varnado will get credit for the block. >> joe: we have to keep an eye on that. he only needs three more blocks to get to 500 on his career. he comes in the help side. >> dave: he didn't leave his feet! >> joe: you can't take it inside like that, knowing he's lurking around by the basket. got to find a way to tick the ball up. >> dave: that's what big procedure would do to little

brother in the nerf game. l.s.u., with the shot clock violation. [ cheering ] >> joe: there you see trent johnson in his second year as head coach of l.s.u.. >> dave: you see the sneakers. joe and i got them on as well. >> joe: we do. >> dave: raise awareness for coaches versus cancer. >> joe: i didn't know we could go tieless today, or else i would have endorsed that as well. >> dave: the navc, the national association of basketball coaches has one day a year where they create awareness for the coaches versus cancer program, the coaches all across the country trying to raise money in fight against cancer. got to look at rick stansbury who is in his 12th year. thoord believe the guy they call "billy the kid," billy donovan is in his 14th season. >> joe: stansbury, 12 years. making it to 12 years is an accomplishment in and of itself. his success at mississippi

state is unparalleled really. >> dave: mississippi state has done a lot of things well. offensive rebounding is not one, but johnson got one there. and stewart tried to draw the foul. excuse me, turner. check that. turner who came in off the mississippi state bench. phil turner gets the three. and that is the first three of the day and the first three in a long, long time for this bulldogs club. mitchell. couldn't get it to go, but he will go to the free-throw line. 7-0, the bulldogs of mississippi state take the lead. when you have a guy that can control the middle like this, it's an easy thing to do.

>> dave: in the earlygoing, mississippi shooting woes a thing of the past as they

jumped out to a 7-0 lead over l.s.u. that was not a highlight reel for him, but just as effective. >> joe: amazing. great timing. the career leaders and varnado is 39 away now, three away as you see from 500 on his career, unbelievable. shaquille o'neal, of course, held the record in the s.e.c. for many years at 412. i never thought that record would be broken. this young man is very special. >> you can see varnado on the bench there. that is by design from rick stansbury. had him playing 37 minutes a game in conference play, when he's afraid he is getting worn down. >> joe: they lost brian johnson last year, inside player to graduation and brought in renardo sidney who has not been cleared to play by the ncaa. elgin bailey, a 6'8" guy. there is renardo sidney right there.

a young man that played basketball in los angeles but originally from mississippi. the family moved back there. they lost bailey and smith to injury, twany beckham as well. the depth of the mississippi state team has been depleted this year. it's caused them problems in terms of getting rest for the starters. >> dave: augustus on the drive. couldn't finish. the margin for the bulldogs is five. l.s.u. still looking for its first field goal of the afternoon. zach kinsley, the sophomore out of baton rouge checked in. >> joe: phil turner 6'2" is matched up on tasmin mitchell 6'7" out front. giving up some size but he's a quick, tough defender. >> dave: pulled up off the dribble. miscommunication that time.

>> joe: if he cut inside he would post up on a guard but the l.s.u. players are not recognizing the situation to get their leading scorer the basketball so he can operate down low. >> dave: especially varnado out. >> joe: he's back in now. >> dave: they go right down to him. lost the handle for a second. the foul is committed by harris. >> joe: dennis harris, a slender 6'11" freshman, similar to the way varnado was as a freshman. slight of build, not strong physically upper body but a lot of up side. he can block shots and score a little bit inside. obviously has a lot of improvement to make, via a really good s.e.c. player. but trent johnson is high on this youngman out of jonesborough, georgia. >> dave: he hit nine straight hoops coming into this one. starting the last five coming

in to today. the play for chris bass running the l.s.u. offense. approaching the 14:00 mark of the first half in starkville. >> joe: mississippi state will double-team tasmin mitchell. most times he gets it. >> up-shot by spencer rattles down and pops out. back chom the bulldogs. mississippi state goes to four out, one in, off the secondary rank, trying to go low and play the inside-outside basketball. >> dave: tries to set things again. a nice save by varnado. but it goes off. >> dave: mississippi state known for the defe m