Other than having an awesome, off-the-wall mascot, what do the Spartans know about Delaware? When asked after Sunday’s game what he knows about their first NCAA Tournament opponent, senior guard Keith Appling was close to speechless.

He didn’t even know what conference Delaware plays in, but how many Spartans out there would be able to give him the answer? Probably not many.

Charismatic Delaware head coach Monte Ross knows he will have his hands full, but said his team has the advantage in conference tournament experience.

“In the tournament game, (Tom Izzo) had to play Michigan,” Ross said during Monday’s teleconference. “In our tournament game we had to play two teams - we had to play William and Mary.”

Coming out of the Colonial Athletic Association with their first-ever CAA regular season and tournament title over William and Mary, the Blue Hens are not a team worth overlooking. With a team that starts three seniors and two juniors, it’s no surprise Delaware is making its first visit to the Big Dance in 15 years.

Those five players are the workhorses for the Fightin’ Blue Hens, as four players average more than 34 minutes a game. It might seem like a heavy workload, but Ross doesn’t see any problem with his rotations.

"The game is only 40 minutes long, and we’re talking about ... 18 to 24-year-olds,” Ross said, “And I tell them all the time, ‘If you can’t play 40 minutes, something’s wrong here.’ ... They’ll have a long time to rest after the season is over.”

The rotation proves to work for the Blue Hens, as they score the nation’s 24th-highest point total of 79.5 points per game. Leading that attack is senior guard duo Devon Saddler and Davon Usher, who average a combined 39.1 points per game. Ross said Saddler is “everything” to the Hens because of his competitive spirit and wide array of offensive skills.

However, they give up an average of 75.1 points per game, good for 289th in the nation in that category.

Coming out of the CAA, it’s safe to say the Blue Hens haven’t competed against the stiffest competition. Before compiling a 14-2 record in their conference, they started the season with a rocky 11-7 record. Two of those losses came against Ohio State (by 12) and Villanova (by four), and Delaware’s lone win against an RPI top 100 team came against Towson.

“We played tough teams, we played in hostile places,” Ross said. “I’m sure (MSU) will have much more fans than will have, but our guys don’t get star-struck.”