No. 5 Michigan State vs. No. 4 Pitt

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has awfully high standards. His Spartans will have to live up to those expectations against a rough-and-nasty Pittsburgh team in Saturday's second-round NCAA tournament test at the Pepsi Center.

The Spartans prepared for the Panthers with one of its most impressive defensive efforts this season en route to a surprisingly easy opening round win Thursday against Temple. Raymar Morgan, Travis Walton and company held the Owls' Donte Christmas, who led the Atlantic 10 with a 20.2 scoring average, to three points (1-for-12).

Michigan State showcased an unusually deep and productive lineup, and employed a smothering defense to lock down one of the nation's top scoring tandems. The balance showed the Spartans could score from all areas of the floor, even if Drew Neitzel is not one of the primary point producers. Michigan State's point guard was held to five points on 2-of-11 shooting.

Bob Knight, Hall of Fame coach and college basketball analyst for ESPN, picked the Panthers to win the national championship. The veteran coach very likely didn't see anything Thursday that would change his mind.

Pittsburgh held Oral Roberts to 34.9 percent shooting from the field. The Golden Eagles made just seven of their 28 shots in the first half. The Panthers battered ORU on the boards, 50-33. And that was with DeJuan Blair and Sam Young, the team's two top rebounders, in foul trouble for much of the game.

The fourth-seeded Panthers (27-9) have won eight of nine games, a streak that has coincided with the resumption of full-fledged practices that coach Jamie Dixon could not hold when his team was short-handed.

Michigan State had been eliminated three of the previous six years in the first round of the tournament. On the other hand, six of the last seven times the Spartans have won in the first round, they've advanced to the Sweet 16, including four Final Four appearances.

Michigan State ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring, but in games it lost it had a lot of trouble putting the ball in the hole. The Spartans averaged about 55 points in their seven losses.

The Panthers' success is predicated on their ability to crash the boards. Pitt is 20-1 when it out-rebounds the opposition and 2-8 when it losses the battle of the boards.

Michigan State has 'covered' seven straight on neutral courts this season and it is 8-1 as neutral court dogs of six points or less or pick. The Spartans have cashed nine of 11 non-conference games and 11 of 14 after allowing 65 points or less in two straight games. However, they are 0-6 ATS after 'covering' five or six of their last seven games.

The Panthers have come up short in 10 of their last 12 ATS when playing on Saturday.

Most offshore books opened Pitt as 1 1/2-point favorites with the 'total' set at 130.

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