Don't even try picking a favorite for the men's basketball title in the MACJC South Division.

"I don't think you can right now," said Hinds Community College coach Ralph Moore, whose Utica-based Bulldogs are 12-1 and ranked No. 19 in the latest NJCAA poll.

"Everybody we've seen in the South is good. It's going to be an extremely tough race."

Hinds is 2-0 in the division - with a home win over then-nationally ranked Gulf Coast and an overtime victory at Pearl River - and has the look, on paper for sure, of a team that should contend for the South title and beyond.

Moore, the former Southern Miss assistant now in his 15th season at Hinds, has seven sophomores on his roster, including top scorers Chris Wallace (from Wingfield) and Mark Wilkerson (Bailey).

"The sophomores are the heart and soul of the team, and you've got to have it that way," Moore said.

He is also high on a freshman crop that includes former Hinds AHS stars Erik and Derek Burks.

"We get a lot of energy from the freshmen and maturity from our sophomores," Moore said. "That's a good combination. ...

"They're playing well and playing hard. That's about all you can ask."

Moore speculates that this might be the best team he's had in Utica - but don't call the Bulldogs favorites.

"There's a lot of games left to play ... too many games," he said.

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Story courtesy The Clarion Ledger's (Jackson) Mike Christensen