NCAA Tournament Preview: Michigan State seeks steadiness, consistency against Robert Morris

Michigan St. vs Robert Morris - Time and TV: Fri., March 20, 9:50 p.m. ET*, CBS
 * = Approximate time. Game will start 30 minutes after the end of USC-Boston College.

Not a soul outside the Robert Morris locker room thinks that Michigan State is in trouble entering the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Then again, the Spartans themselves should know that they need to be vigilant when they stare down a would-be Cinderella from the Northeast Conference.
 
Whenever a second seed takes on a 15 seed in the opening act of the Big Dance, the little guy produces the feel-good moments, but the big dog determines the ultimate outcome. Only through impatience or particularly notable stage fright will a heavyweight collapse at this stage of the tournament. As long as Goliath displays consistent effort and sustained concentration, David won't have a chance. Such is the case when Tom Izzo's team takes on the Colonials, who are based in the town of Coraopolis, Pa.

The biggest thing to note before this matchup in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome is that Michigan State has treated some Big Ten games as roll-the-ball-out affairs. The Spartans, as good as they are, have begun a number of games with a combination of complacency and overconfidence, the worst mindset for a team intent on getting to Detroit for a home-state Final Four experience.
 
When Michigan State lost at home to Northwestern--and who thought that ever could have happened?!--the Spartans turned the ball over 18 times. When MSU slipped up again at the Breslin Center against Penn State, a lazy offense fell in love with the 3-point shot and made just three long bombs in 21 attempts. In last weekend's Big Ten Tournament semifinal against Ohio State, MSU didn't match the Buckeyes' energy from start to finish, and revealed a level of frustration that seemed to suggest that winning was expected, but not fought for. To quote an old documentary film about the late-1960s Dallas Cowboys, Michigan State "had a Roman appetite for victory but lacked the spartan will needed to achieve it." How fitting that statement is, because the Big Ten's most successful program certainly ought to possess a Spartan will. But there are some nights--not many, but enough to warrant notice-when Michigan State simply doesn't play with the fire or the focus Izzo wants his team to exhibit.

It's not that complicated at all. When the No. 2 seed from East Lansing takes the court in Minneapolis on Friday, a businesslike mindset has to emerge. If MSU is careless with the ball and falls in love with the quick hoist 24 feet from the basket, Robert Morris--with a few big shots here and a few confidence-boosting plays there--could become the latest 15 seed to make a 2 seed sweat.
 
Last season, Duke had to endure rapidly escalating blood pressure levels to hold off little Belmont in the final seconds. If Michigan State wants a comfortable night at the Metrodome, Sparty has to reaffirm its blue-collar basketball identity against Robert Morris.

> Find more Big Ten football news online at Big Ten Fans!