For Michigan State it’s the “war drill.” A ball rolls onto the floor and the players go after it. There are no fouls called. Contact is demanded. Bloody noses and lips are often souvenirs.
“It’s pretty intense,” Spartans guard Drew Neitzel said.
For Pittsburgh, it used to be called the “war drill.” Now it’s just the “box-out drill,” but the same anarchic principles apply. Two players trying to prevent two other players from getting a rebound. Until you get two boards in a row, you do not leave the drill. Broken nose or not.
“That can get real brutal,” Panthers guard Sam Young said.
It is an exaggeration to say that Saturday’s NCAA tournament South regional second-round matchup between No. 4 seed Pittsburgh and No. 5 seed Michigan State will be decided by who can withstand the greater loss of plasma.
Both teams have skill. The Spartans led the Big Ten in shooting and assists per game.
The Panthers were fourth in the Big East in shooting and third in assists.
But almost identically, they are programs built on toughness, the matchup appropriate for either the Pepsi Center or Thunderdome.
“You have to be able to hit somebody and take a hit at the same time,” Spartans guard Travis Walton said. “That’s Michigan State basketball and that’s pretty much Pittsburgh basketball too.
“Nobody on their team, or nobody on our team, is afraid to get hit with an elbow or a bump or anything. That’s what we play, and that’s what they play.”
It is no coincidence. Spartans coach Tom Izzo and Panthers coach Jamie Dixon are philosophical soulmates.
Izzo helped UCLA coach Ben Howland get a job at Central Michigan, Dixon is a Howland disciple, and so a stomp-on-the-daisy chain was created.
“If you looked at UCLA and Pittsburgh and Michigan State, in a lot of respects there are a lot of similarities,” Izzo said. “You look at the defense. You look at the fast-breaking. You look at the plays. You look at the strength factor — which we’ve been lacking in a little bit. The philosophy is the same.”
It won’t change Saturday. There will be good basketball on display. There will also be no place for the faint of heart.
“When we get on the court, we’re going to try to out-tough them,” Pittsburgh guard Levance Fields said. “That’s what they should do too.”
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bchamilton@tribune.com
