Mississippi State wants to get off to a better start when it faces Central Michigan Tuesday night in Jackson, Miss. The Bulldogs (8-1) escaped with close wins against their last two non-power-conference opponents, and they slipped out of Monday’s AP Top 25 poll as a result. They trailed by 15 but recovered in a 91-84 home win against Prairie View A&M on Dec. 8. On Saturday, the Bulldogs faced an eight-point first-half deficit against McNeese State and trailed with five minutes left before they pulled out a 66-63 win. RJ…..