‘‘It’s based on how many upperclassmen do they have that have stayed together and how much talent do they have,’’ the Louisville coach said Friday in Lexington, Ky. ‘‘You have a lot of upperclassmen, but they may not be that good.’’

Saint Louis made his cut. So did Oregon, which promptly reinforced Pitino’s genius by knocking off fifth-seeded Oklahoma State. He was right on with La Salle, which took down Kansas State. Davidson didn’t win, but Pitino could have told Buzz Williams days ago that the Wildcats were going to give his Marquette team fits.

Another team that would have been in his bracket is Colorado State, the overall No. 1 seed’s opponent Saturday.

‘‘Five seniors, No. 1 rebounding margin team in the country, I know Larry [Eustachy] is a terrific coach,’’ Pitino said, ticking off the qualities that make the Rams so fearsome. ‘‘They have all the ingredients to be a great basketball team, and they are.

‘‘I always look at talent and experience coming together,’’ Pitino added, ‘‘and Colorado State has both.’’

The Cardinals’ dismantling of North Carolina A&T on Thursday night was so thorough, so ferocious it’s hard to imagine anyone interrupting their march to Atlanta. Louisville set an NCAA Tournament record with 20 steals and Russ Smith tied the individual mark with eight grabs. The Cardinals forced a season-high 27 turnovers, and had 67 deflections.

But, no offense to A&T, the Aggies were a dream matchup. They play a similar, running, trapping style as the Cardinals, but without the same blue-chip personnel.

The eighth-seeded Rams, however, are a team unlike many Louisville has seen this year.

Colorado State (26-8) is averaging a little over 40 boards per game — no, that’s not a misprint — and Colton Iverson is such a beast that, 27 minutes into Thursday night’s game, he single-handedly had Missouri outrebounded (13-11).

‘‘We have to do a better job of on the glass,’’ Peyton Siva said. ‘‘We haven’t faced a team like this that rebounds with such tenacity.’’

What might impress Pitino the most, however, is the Rams’ maturity. They have six players back from the team that reached the NCAA Tournament last year. Four of their five starters are seniors, and the fifth, Jon Octeus, is a redshirt sophomore.

The Rams appreciate Louisville’s reputation, but they’re not in awe of the Cardinals.

‘‘We respect our opponent, but we feel like we’re one of the best teams in the country and we believe in ourselves,’’ Dorian Green said. ‘‘If we play well, we know that we can beat anybody in the country.’’

Classic matchup

Fourth-seeded Michigan takes on fifth-seeded VCU on Saturday in Auburn Hills, Mich., in what could be the weekend’s most anticipated game. The Wolverines are the best team in the nation at avoiding turnovers, and nobody forces them quite like the Rams. Throw in John Beilein and Shaka Smart, two respected coaches with postseason experience — and Michigan star Trey Burke, whose job is to direct the Wolverines through VCU’s press — and this has all the makings of a classic.

‘‘They always have terrific spacing on the floor, but more so than that, it’s about their personnel,’’ VCU’s Smart said. ‘‘They’ve got great guards. Trey Burke is a lot of people’s pick for national player of the year. I haven’t seen a guard better than him.’’

Michigan (27-7) has to look all the way back to December to find an opponent on their schedule that reminds them of VCU (27-8).

‘‘Arkansas was a team that plays similar,’’ Burke said. ‘‘They pressed pretty much the whole game.’’

Michigan beat the Razorbacks, 80-67, turning the ball over 12 times. VCU is an NCAA Tournament team and Arkansas is not, but that game illustrates the challenge facing the Rams. If the Wolverines can get the ball across halfcourt, can VCU stop them?

‘‘It’s always a risk-reward situation. If you press, you’re extending your defense past halfcourt,’’ Smart said. ‘‘That’s why most people don’t press, because they want to get back and pack it in. But that’s not what we do.’’

Motivational tools

One is a mid-major that has been carrying on the memory of its late coach. The other is a Pac-12 tournament champion that feels slighted by its No. 12 seed.

When No. 4 seed Saint Louis and Oregon meet Saturday in San Jose, Calif., for a spot in the round of 16, neither side will be lacking motivation.