MINNEAPOLIS -- In these instances, Goliath is in a bit of a lose-lose situation.

If the mighty power wins by 30, he's supposed to. But, if he somehow falters and still wins, he will appear vulnerable to ensuing opponents.

Goliath, in this NCAA tournament Midwest Region first round, will be two-headed and played by Michigan State and Kansas, with Robert Morris and North Dakota State, respectively, looking to somehow come up with a couple of stones that can be slung with such ferocity they will fell the heavy favorites.

The traveling parties from 15th-seeded Robert Morris and 14th-seeded North Dakota State came up with similar lines of thinking yesterday during media day: The pressure lies squarely on their opponents, not them.

After all, for the same amount of acclaim that rests with the defending national champion (Kansas) and a traditional Big Ten power (Michigan State), there is that much obscurity to be derived when a college basketball fan hears the name of a largely commuter school in suburban Pittsburgh that plays in the Northeast Conference (Robert Morris) and a Summit League champion in its first year eligible for the Division I tournament (North Dakota State).

"We're not expected to win this game," North Dakota State senior guard Ben Woodside said. "It is not like people across the country are putting us over Kansas. So, overall I think there's more pressure on the bigger school. Obviously, you know, we're happy to be here and we're excited. But I think overall I don't think there is much pressure on us at all."

North Dakota State coach Saul Phillips, whose team has taken his state by storm and brought more than 15,000 fans to Minneapolis, reassured everyone that the Bison, like the Colonials, are indeed at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome to come away with a victory, whatever the astronomical odds might be.

"We aren't here as tourists," said Phillips, who had reporters in stitches a few times. "We're here to play basketball. And I have a lot of confidence in my team. But as far as pressure goes, no, that's long gone."

In the case of coach Mike Rice's Robert Morris team, the Colonials are trying to do something only four other teams in the history of the tournament have done: Come in as a 15-seed and win a first-round matchup.

Richmond stunned Syracuse in 1991, Santa Clara defeated Arizona in '93, Coppin State beat South Carolina at Mellon Arena in '97 and, most recently, Hampton edged Iowa State in 2001.

While Robert Morris standout swingman Jeremy Chappell hasn't necessarily studied the tournament's intricate history, he does know about a precedent being set for what he and his teammates are attempting to do against Michigan State.

"I've heard of Hampton, a 15 seed beat a 2 seed, so it is possible," Chappell said. "And in the sense that the 2 seed does have a lot of pressure because they're supposed to win. So it is kind of looked upon if they lose, it was bad, they played bad. And if they win, they were supposed to win."

North Dakota State and Robert Morris will have to play more than just well to win today. They will have to play nearly spotless and have their opponents play much less than their best game.

So, is there a recipe for coming out today and playing your finest game, when you are a momentous underdog, on this season's biggest stage?

"The biggest thing you want to make sure of is that you don't get caught up in changing everything to fit a certain mold," Phillips said. "We've gotten here doing things a certain way. We can tweak that a little bit, but we can't get too far away from our formula in an effort to trying to emulate one of the great upsets of the past."