Michigan State guard Shawn Respert is a sure-fire scoring threat who can heat up the scoreboard from the paint or the three-point arc.

His backcourt mate Eric Snow is a menacing defender equally capable of stopping opponents or dishing an assist.

This is why the Spartans' duo -- Mr. Offense and Mr. Defense -- has been dubbed "Fire & Ice" by the university's publicity department.

No one gets hot faster. No one makes you cold quicker. Michigan State's dynamic guards. The best backcourt combination in the country.

"If we could use six players, we might be able to stop those guys," said Penn State Coach Bruce Parkhill. "I think they're the best backcourt in the country."

The Spartans' double threat may make the Lion guards worrisome, but it is their frontcourt that concerns Parkhill. His Lions (12-4, 4-3 Big Ten) visit conference leader and No. 10 Michigan State (14-2, 6-1) at 7:30 p.m. today at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN (TCI channel 17, HFS channel 18).

"Snow and Respert are terrific, but I think their front-line players have all stepped up," Parkhill said. "I really see a great deal of improvement in (Jamie) Feick and (Jon) Garavaglia and some of those guys up front. I think that is one of the reasons that they're having such a great year."

Feick and Garavaglia, both 6-feet-9-inches, have quickly adjusted from role-player status to become the starting frontcourt. Feick, a junior who replaced Anthony Miller at center, is averaging 10.1 points per game and is third in the conference in rebounding (9.6 per game). Garavaglia, a sophomore, filled the power-forward spot and adds 9.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

The duo will be responsible for double-team coverage of 6-foot-10-inch Lion center John Amaechi.

"I think John Amaechi is the best pure post man in the conference," said Spartan Coach Jud Heathcote, who will retire after this season, his 19th at Michigan State. "We can't let him have a huge game like he did against Michigan."

As for Respert, a national player of the year candidate, the 6-foot-3-inch senior guard leads the conference in scoring (26.4 points per game), three-point field-goal percentage (.545) and free-throw percentage (.915).

Should Respert go on a scoring rampage and pour in 35 points, he will become Michigan State's all-time leading scorer, passing Magic Johnson, Sam Vincent, Scott Skiles and Steve Smith.

"(Respert) has what people consider a bad game and he still gets his 20 points," Heathcote said. "I think Shawn is going to get his 20 points no matter what they do."

Respert had a season-high 40 points, including nine treys, in an 89-82 loss at Indiana Jan. 11. Michigan State's other loss was a 96-91 defeat at Nebraska on Dec. 10.

Snow, a senior point guard, leads the conference in assists with 112, is third in steals with 31 and averages 12.8 points per game. He had 12 assists against Illinois and 10 against both Ball State and Louisville.

The slick backcourt tandem has taken Michigan State from the middle of the pack to Big Ten frontrunner. Last season, Lion forward Rahsaan Carlton's three-pointer at the buzzer beat the Spartans, 71-70, in their only confrontation at Rec Hall.

Now the tables have been reversed. The Lions' three conference losses are by a total of seven points.

"If Penn State had our luck, they'd be undefeated," Heathcote said. "They lost some close games."

And if the Lions had the Spartans' backcourt, they'd be untouchable.