JACKSON — With its best inside scoring presence since Lawrence Roberts, Mississippi State hopes to be a major player in the Southeastern Conference and eventually, the NCAA Tournament.

A good test comes tonight when the 15th ranked Bulldogs (12-1) take on sixth ranked Baylor (12-0) in Dallas. Baylor will be the Bulldogs’ next-to-last tuneup game before SEC play begins on Jan. 7 against Arkansas.

Mississippi State showed a near-capacity crowd last week at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson it has some serious offensive weapons. University of Texas-El Paso transfer, Arnett Moultrie, has played as big as his 6-foot-11 frame. Against Northwestern State, Moultrie paced the Bulldogs to a 82-67 win behind an impressive performance of 24 points and 14 rebounds.

Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said Moultrie will play a key part inside for the Bulldogs.