GAME: No. 10 Nevada (23-8) vs. No. 7 Michigan State (18-11).
REGIONAL: St. Louis, First Round.
TIME: Thursday, 7:35 p.m. EST.
SITE: KeyArena; Seattle.
Michigan State played arguably the nation's most difficult non-conference schedule in preparation for the NCAA tournament.
Now the Spartans get to see if that decision pays off, starting with a first-round matchup against Western Athletic Conference champion Nevada.
Seven of Michigan State's opponents - including five non-conference teams - from the regular season are in the NCAA tournament. Included in that list are DePaul, Illinois, Syracuse, Kansas, Wisconsin and No. 1 seeds Duke and Kentucky.
Playing that difficult schedule didn't help the Spartans improve their won-loss record, as they went 0-9 against nationally ranked teams. They did, however, finish the regular season strong, winning 13 of 16 before losing to Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament semifinals.
Despite failing to produce a victory against a ranked opponent, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo believes his team will benefit from the tough schedule.
"We've played everybody," Izzo said. "There's nothing to be afraid of."
Michigan State has been a successful tournament team under Izzo, posting a 19-5 record, including the 2000 national championship. Izzo's .792 winning percentage is the best in the NCAA tournament among active coaches with more than 20 games.
"If this team can put it together, we can really make a run," Izzo said. "But if this team doesn't play up to its level, we won't get past Thursday night."
This is the second straight season Michigan State has earned a No. 7 seed. Last season, the Spartans advanced to the regional finals before losing to top-seeded Texas.
Michigan State is one of the nation's best shooting teams, ranking in the top 10 for both field goal and free throw percentage. The Spartans are the first team in Big Ten history to lead the league in field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage, free-throw percentage and scoring offense in the same season.
While the offense appears to be in good shape, defense and rebounding - trademarks of Izzo's teams in the past - have been problems for the Spartans.
Those trouble areas could be magnified against Nevada, which averages six rebounds more per game than its opponents.
The Wolf Pack earned their first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1985 with a 66-60 victory over Texas-El Paso in the WAC championship game.
"I mean Michigan State, they're one of the elite teams in the country," Nevada freshman forward Nick Fazekas said. "They didn't have a great team this year, but they played one of the hardest schedules out there. I think we match up with them. I think we can go out there and give them a good game. And I think we can win."
Containing Nevada swingman Kirk Snyder figures to be the key to beating the Wolf Pack.
Snyder - the WAC's leading scorer and player of the year - averaged 18.7 points and was second on the team with 5.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
Snyder has said he'll decide after the season whether to come out early for the NBA draft. He is projected as a first- or early second-round pick.
Nevada has never beaten a Big Ten team, losing all eight games.
The winner of this game will face either No. 2 seed Gonzaga or 15th-seeded Valparaiso in the second round on Saturday.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Nevada - F Fazekas (12.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg), F Kevinn Pinkney (8.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg), G Garry-Hill Thomas (9.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg), G Snyder (18.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg), G Todd Okeson (10.8 ppg, 4.0 apg). Michigan State - F Alan Anderson (8.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg), F Kelvin Torbert (10.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg), C Paul Davis (15.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg), G Shannon Brown (8.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg), G Chris Hill (14.1, 3.9 apg).
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Nevada - Automatic bid, Western Athletic champion. Michigan State - At-large berth.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Nevada - 0-2, 2 years. Michigan State - 36-16, 17 years.
