In one corner you had MSU, the upstart favorite looking to make its first Final Four since 2005. In the other you had Kansas, the defending national champs looking to cling to their belt.

The result: 10 rounds of riveting, rough-and-tumble action; and a 67-62 MSU victory.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” said Morgan, who later acknowledged that his nose injury came on “freak” play. “(Sherron) Collins and (Cole) Aldrich are pros, I knew they were going to come out hard and give it their all.”

Through nine rounds, Kansas had the decisive advantage. The Jayhawks led by as many as 13 points in the first half and maintained that lead for most of the second.

But MSU fought back valiantly and, with the game tied at 60, sophomore guard Kalin Lucas delivered the knockout punch for MSU with less than a minute to go when he burst through the lane, absorbed contact and made an incredible floater that sent the Spartans to the Elite Eight.

“They played unbelievably well,” senior center Goran Suton said. “We had to come back from a deficit in the first half, and I think we showed a lot of heart.”

Heart was one of the many impressive qualities the Spartans showed on Friday.

For nearly the entire game, the Spartans couldn’t do anything right.

They shot poorly from the field, committed several turnovers that resulted in easy Kansas baskets and were even out-rebounded.

But like they did a round earlier against Southern Cal, they found a way to win.

“That’s kind of our team identity a little bit, when our backs are against the wall we find ways to get things done,” sophomore guard Durrell Summers said. “I think we’ve got a lot of tough players, a lot of tough guys on our team mentally and that transfers over to our team physically.”

There was a time this season when you couldn’t say that about the Spartans. Despite overcoming a season mired by injury to win the Big Ten championship, it was clear there was an element of toughness this team lacked — and it was worrisome.

You can have all the talent in the world, but come tournament time, it’s moot if you don’t have the psychological preparedness to deal with the trials and tribulations that characterize the month of March.

Sunday against Louisville, the Spartans will need to summon all the mental toughness they can find. The Cardinals have won 13 straight games and play a frenetic style that forces teams to keep their composure.

The Spartans will certainly have their hands full. But if they lose, don’t blame it on toughness.

“I don’t think too many things scare our team,” Summers said. “Even when we’re down by a lot, guys just kind of rise higher to the occasion.”