Happily moving along

WORCESTER -- When a program reaches Michigan State's stature, simply getting to the Sweet 16 isn't enough. Yesterday's 72-61 victory over Vermont in a second-round Austin Regional matchup at the DCU Center was simply expected.

"Winning the first two games and getting to the next weekend is something," said Spartans senior forward Alan Anderson. "But we're not just about getting here. We're about winning it all. This is just one step toward the final game."

Coach Tom Izzo's program has lived with intense expectations since winning the national championship in 2000 and reaching the Final Four the following season.

The current crop of Spartans, recruited in the wake of those back-to-back Final Four appearances, entered this weekend with one Elite Eight appearance and two first-round losses on their ledger -- and a fan base not happy with those results.

So unlike vanquished Vermont, which left Worcester largely satisfied with its tourney experience, the fifth-seeded Spartans aren't content with simply getting to the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in eight years.

"There's some level of satisfaction winning," said junior center Paul Davis, who held his Vermont counterpart, Taylor Coppenrath, to 16 points. "But we're not too excited. We have some guys here who have been through a lot and we hope that we can use the momentum to get us through."

Yesterday's performance should be enough to lessen the fears of Spartan supporters. While not flawless, Michigan State was tenacious when it needed to be and displayed great depth.

Playing in front of a partisan Vermont crowd that desperately wanted to see the underdogs' run continue, eight Spartans logged at least 15 minutes and four reached double figures in scoring (Maurice Ager 19, Kelvin Torbert 14, Anderson 11, and Davis 11).

"I'm proud of our guys," said Izzo, whose team improved to 24-6. "I thought we did a great job on the inside on Coppenrath. I thought there were a few times where we could have opened it up, but to their credit they didn't give up and they kept coming at us."

A crew of big men -- 6-foot-11-inch Davis, 6-10 Drew Naymich, 6-6 Anderson -- teamed up to wear down Coppenrath, holding him to 5-of-23 shooting. The big men weren't afraid to come outside and challenge hot-shooting guard T. J. Sorrentine, either, trying to disrupt his timing.

"I can't say enough about how our big men did today," said Torbert. "They slowed down Coppenrath and did what they had to do. We keep playing like that and we're going to get to our goal."

Just as important, Michigan State treated the ball with respect, turning it over just nine times. Every time the Catamounts attempted to claw back into the game, the Spartans had an answer. Like during the final three minutes of the first half, when the Spartans went on an 8-0 run to go into the break with a 35-28 lead after a Sorrentine hot streak gave the Catamounts a brief lead. Then midway through the second half, when Sorrentine's fifth 3-pointer cut what had been a 14-point deficit to 7, the Spartans turned up the heat and regained a double-digit lead.

"They made it tough on you," said Sorrentine, who finished with 26 points. "They made everything tough on you, they seemed like they were always fresh."

Beating sentimental favorites is nothing new for Izzo's teams. The 2001 Spartans beat underdog Gonzaga and a Temple team looking to get coach John Chaney into the Final Four.

If 2001 is a guide, perhaps yesterday's result will portend a similar fate. "Playing a team like this is a good experience," said Davis, who had a career-high 14 rebounds. "They had everyone here rooting for them, the whole country wanted them to win. Now the Cinderella teams are gone and the intensity just picks up more. If we play the type of game we played today in that type of environment, then we should be able to get where we want to go."

Michigan State next faces Duke in Austin, Texas. The teams played Nov. 30 and the Blue Devils took an 81-74 decision in Durham, N.C. "We've seen them before," said Davis. "We know what they're about. We wanted them. Getting another chance to play them is a big motivator, something I think we all looked forward to."