Duke hadn't lost to MSU since 1958, and it has one of the most successful active coaches. Kentucky had seven championships and beat MSU in front of the biggest crowd in college basketball history.

But the MSU men's basketball team didn't flinch at its past losses and recently took down both college basketball giants in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.

Now the Spartans (26-6) don't want it any other way. Bring on another powerhouse. Bring on North Carolina (31-4) - they've only been to 16 Final Fours.

"Duke and Kentucky will be a footprint in the sand, but next Tuesday you could have a statue to put on that footprint," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. "You'd have something solid that will be there forever."

The story line is the same. Again, the Spartans are the underdogs, as they take on the Tar Heels at 8:47 p.m. Saturday in St. Louis, at the Edward Jones Dome. But this time, all of the nation is watching.

And if MSU wins, then they will likely play that role again on Monday, against either Illinois or Louisville.

"It's been like that for the last two weeks," senior guard Chris Hill said. "There's no difference there, and we don't want it to be any different. We've grown accustomed to the role."

North Carolina is much like Duke and Kentucky in terms of reputation. But North Carolina is deeper, faster and more talented.

"We're playing our best basketball of the season," Izzo said. "We're going to have to play against North Carolina. But I plan to."

For Izzo, his team is coming together at the right time. After helping them dismiss the mental block that they couldn't pull out in close games, he's watched them turn around and follow the team motto - "prove ourselves right."

Seniors guard Kelvin Torbert and swingman Alan Anderson are playing the best basketball of their careers. Junior center Paul Davis says he's having fun, while recording three straight double-doubles, and freshman guard Drew Neitzel has continued to keep the Spartans' fast-break game together.

"They play with desire," North Carolina guard Raymond Felton said. "They are a team that seems to play with a chip on their shoulder, just like we would. Just trying to improve things and make it as far as they can."

And then there's junior guard Maurice Ager and sophomore guard Shannon Brown, who both had 20-point games against Kentucky.

"Ager and Brown, I think we've got as many highlight films as anyone in the tournament," Izzo said.

Both North Carolina and MSU like to run off the fast break, but with North Carolina's athleticism, if the game turns into a track meet, transition defense will be a focus.

"We've got to concentrate on transition defense," Ager said.

Izzo actually used Roy Williams' Kansas team to study how they ran their fast break. He learned that it takes the ball out faster, its outlets are deeper and quicker.

So he adopted Williams' blueprint and has used the Spartans fast-break game as his biggest weapon.

North Carolina is loaded with future NBA stars, and Izzo said guys like senior guard Jackie Manuel or guard David Noel could step up and hurt MSU.

"When you've got that many good players that can beat you in different ways, you have to pick the poison that's least poisonous and cheat somewhere," Izzo said.

Manuel is the kind of player associate head coach Doug Wojcik calls the "glue guy." He holds together a starting lineup featuring four McDonald's All-Americans.

"He really fits the piece of the puzzle for them," Wojcik said. "They have four offensive-minded players, and Jackie's a rebounder, screener, a defender."

Izzo said the guys he wants to key on are North Carolina center Sean May and the sharp-shooting Felton.

The Spartans will try to get May into foul trouble, Izzo said. He's seen May become more athletic, adding more post moves to his over-left-shoulder move.

"He's becoming one of the best players in the country," Izzo said.

Felton's assets are his strength and quickness, and he has become a better shooter.

"If he's shooting the ball well that night, that's going to create problems," Izzo said.

No matter what happens Saturday, the transformation of the Spartans can be traced back to many moments.

It could be all that the MSU senior class has gone through from being forced into the starting lineup as freshman to having to change from their natural positions.

"Yeah, the plan worked, but there was a lot of roadkill along the way, and I'm not sure it was always good for them," Izzo said.

It doesn't matter now. Izzo has a roster of players that believe in his methods.

"It's cool, thank God, to just be in this situation. Everybody don't get to play all the great teams in the country. A lot of people just dream about playing Syracuse, Kansas, Duke, and we get to play them all," Ager said.