OMAHA, Neb. — Seeing was believing for Cal State Fullerton senior guard Frank Robinson during Wednesday's shootaround at the Qwest Center.

Robinson had seen the roster and broken down the DVDs, so he knew the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team was big.

Then he got a chance to see them in person.

"The first thing we see is their size," Robinson said a short time later in the locker room. "They're big, long, wide-bodied. We just watched them. They look really big and strong."

Marcus Morgan, one of two 6-foot-5 forwards for the Titans, was asked what went through his mind when he saw the Badgers, who feature 6-11 players in the rotation in Brian Butch and Greg Stiemsma.

"I'm hoping they're slow, so I can be quicker, use my speed," Morgan said. "They're just big. Kinda scary, but in the same sense, I'm excited."

It's been that way all season for Fullerton, which does not have a starter taller than 6-5, but still finished second in the Big West Conference in rebounding.

"If we rebound — and they will rebound — we should be all right," Robinson said.

The Titans (24-8) are the kind of unheralded team that often shows up in the first round of the NCAA tournament and proves there's more to Division I basketball than the six power conferences.

Fullerton ranks fifth in the nation in scoring, averaging 82.6 points per game and boasts three prolific scorers in Josh Akognon (19.9 ppg), Robinson (16.0) and forward Scott Cutley (14.8).

Since senior Ray Reed took over at point guard, following the suspension of Junior Russell, the Titans won nine of their past 10 games.

Down the stretch, they were the class of the Big West — which featured four 20-win teams — and won the conference tournament.

The only thing they are lacking is size, which makes Thursday's first-round matchup against the Badgers so troubling for Fullerton coach Bob Burton.

"I hate this," he said. "I didn't like this matchup at all, to be very honest."

The two things Burton didn't want to see in an opponent are enough size to pound the ball inside and a slower pace on offense.

"Everybody said, 'You've just got to speed them up and get the tempo going,' " Burton said. "Well, it's not like people haven't tried."

Burton didn't mince words when it came to the importance of tempo in the game.

"It's going to be the key factor," he said. "If we can't get out and run and go and get good shots and play at the tempo we like, we won't have a chance."

Not only has Reed sparked the offense, he's a dogged defender. In the past 11 games, Fullerton has held opponents to fewer than 70 points seven times. That happened only eight times in the first 21 games.

"Offensively and defensively, if you count the last 10 or 11 games of the season, he's our MVP," Robinson said.

The Titans don't use much full-court defense, or trapping, but they like to pressure the guards and turn turnovers into points.

The Badgers are averaging just 12 turnovers a game. That didn't seem to matter to Reed, who was asked if he was aware the Badgers had only one turnover in a game against Michigan State.

"I'm not aware of what they had, I just know we're going to pressure the ball," Reed said. "If they protect it, then good for them. But we're comin'."