And so it begins.
After being discussed, criticized and examined to near exhaustion, the murderous nonconference schedule facing the No. 3 MSU men's basketball team begins tonight in Lawrence, Kan., with a marquee matchup against No. 6 Kansas.
Drawn up to be the Spartans' first test of the season, the Jayhawks (1-0) will be anything but. After an extremely shaky 64-52 win over Bucknell to open the season on Friday, MSU head coach Tom Izzo is still picking apart the positives - few turnovers and lockdown defense - from the negatives - shooting and toughness.
"I'm looking forward to going down there because I think we're going to learn something about our team," Izzo said. "I think we have a chance just like we did at Kentucky last year to get a win on the road and help us."
To anyone who witnessed last Friday's season opener, the Spartans will have to show marked improvement against a very strong team for any chance of winning. First-year Kansas head coach Bill Self's offensive orientation appears well-suited for his athletic Jayhawks squad.
Kansas returns four starters this season, all juniors with big-game experience. After sitting out much of last season with a shoulder injury, power forward Wayne Simien is capable of exposing MSU's frontcourt, guard Keith Langford is a preseason candidate for national Player of the Year and freshman center David Padgett, who recorded a double-double in his first career game Friday against Tennessee-Chattanooga, could be the game's X-factor.
Tonight's major challenge for MSU, though, will be to reveal some of the inside toughness Izzo breeds. Accusations of playing soft, with an effort level equal to lesser opponents, did not sit well with the Spartans but apparently exist as folklore in Lawrence.
"(Izzo's) definition of soft is not necessarily what the average human being's definition of soft is," Self said. "Soft to Tom is when three guys aren't out on a loose ball. He will never have a soft team by any means."
Kind words from a coach who has a 3-3 all-time record against Izzo, including a 70-40 pummeling by Illinois last season when Self was head coach.
The Spartans' hopes for a win hinge on a strong interior presence from sophomore forward Paul Davis, senior center Jason Andreas, redshirt freshman forward Delco Rowley and freshman center Drew Naymick. Davis scored 21 points against Bucknell, but the other three combined for 2 points and Rowley fouled out in just 9 minutes of playing time.
And as if the chips already weren't stacked against MSU, the venue will be an issue. In terms of fan noise and intimidation factor, Kansas' Phog Allen Fieldhouse is the Breslin Center of the Big 12 Conference.
"It's going to be a very hostile environment," junior guard Chris Hill said. "But it's a great opportunity. Obviously, we're going to have to pick things up from Friday night if we're looking to go down there and win."
If MSU wants to win, they'll have to play one man down, as freshman point guard Brandon Cotton will not play in tonight's game. Cotton will be sidelined from a stress fracture in his right foot for 4-6 weeks.
A murderer's row schedule, however, is bringing out the best in Izzo. The season's first designed test of the year will reveal much about the nation's third-ranked team - good or bad - but Izzo likes it that way.
"For me, this is almost a childhood dream," he said. "To go to Kansas, where basketball was born. I'm excited today, I'll be excited tonight and I'll be excited tomorrow. The players should feel the same way."
