OMAHA, Neb. -- Michael Beasley is an innately fun-loving 19-year-old, partial to SpongeBob SquarePants, childish pranks and acting like a self-described goofball. But you could tell Friday he'd given considerable thought to what he was about to say.

The Kansas State freshman phenom was well-aware of all his Wildcats had already accomplished this season, and how much their Jan. 30 victory over rival Kansas -- their signature regular-season win in their 21-11 season -- had meant.

So when he called the 11th-seeded Wildcats' 80-67 upset of sixth-seeded USC in Thursday night's NCAA men's basketball tournament first-round game "the best game we've played all year," he did so with good reason.

The operative word? We.

For while Beasley, a national college player of the year candidate, had already had plenty of outstanding games -- he entered the tournament leading the Wildcats with 26.3-point and 12.3-rebound averages -- and fellow freshman Bill Walker (16.0, 6.3) had had his moments as well, the Wildcats hadn't put together that complete of a team effort all season.

"It wasn't just one or two guys. It wasn't just me or it wasn't just Bill. It was the whole team," said Beasley, who scored five first-half points while saddled with two early fouls but finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds. "We came together as one, not just on the offensive side, but on the defensive side, too. (That's why) I think that was the best game we played all year -- just as a team."

And that's what the third-seeded University of Wisconsin will have to deal with in today's Midwest Regional second-round game at the Qwest Center.

"It's how they play off of one another," UW coach Bo Ryan said. "They're all contributors. When we look at teams, we look at the collection, not the parts."

Thanks to those parts, the Wildcats, who are appearing in their first NCAA tournament since 1996, won the school's first tourney game since 1988, when the advanced to the regional final before losing to the Jayhawks.

Against USC, Walker picked up for Beasley in the first half, when he scored 17 of his 22 points; freshman Ron Anderson, who'd scored 10 points in his last six games and came in averaging 3.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 11.7 minutes per game, had 10 points (on 5-of-7 shooting) and eight rebounds; and freshman guard Jacob Pullen had 11 points and five assists.

"We beat (Texas) A&M, we beat Kansas, we beat Iowa State early in the year. I don't know if (Thursday night) we played a lot better than we did than on those nights," said Wildcats coach Frank Martin, whose team opened Big 12 conference play with five straight wins, but closed 3-6 before the NCAAs.

"(But) obviously the difference is, this might be our most complete game away from Bramlage (Coliseum, the Wildcats' home arena). On the road, we've had a little bit of ups and downs. And (Thursday) night was the first time that we were a little more stable."