THE DUKE DIVE: NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUND OF 32

A Michigan State elimination of top-seeded Duke in the 2019 Elite 8 was one of the most stinging losses for coach Mike Krzyzewski. His roster featured multiple lotteries picks in Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett. Cam Reddish and Tre Jones were also drafted. But that particular day belonged to Spartans point guard Cassius Winston who scored 20 points and assisted 10 times. Duke’s ACC rival Virginia eventually won the National Championship.

Duke dodged the same fate of that great 2018-2019 squad and defeated the Spartans 85-76 on Sunday. They will play Texas Tech in the Sweet 16 in San Francisco on March 24. Michigan State was successful only on two shots from the floor in the final three minutes.

A.J. Griffin ran into a wall of Spartans and hurt his ankle on a failed shot attempt which resulted in Gabe Brown dunking on the other end. Griffin, unfortunately, has a history of injuries and Duke’s previous nine-point lead became 63-61. He did not return to the game. Tyson Walker stepped back into a three, putting Michigan State ahead 68-65 with 5:26 remaining for the first time since a 16-15 lead in the first half. Paolo Banchero was fortunate not to be called for a charge when he displaced Joey Hauser to retake the advantage 75-74. Jeremy Roach bailed out the team by swishing a three off the dribble after a seemingly unorganized offensive set. It was the fifth straight field goal scored by Duke. Max Christie inadvertently passed the ball to Wendell Moore Jr., who was fouled on a fast-break drive. At 80-74, the writing was on the wall for the Spartans’ season.

To begin the game, Spartan defenders slid their feet with quickness to eliminate driving lanes. Unlike the first-round game, size was not an advantage for the Blue Devils as they were blocked four times within the first nine minutes. Duke’s 8-0 spurt amid a Michigan State shooting slump showed that they had finally settled into their offense. The Spartans had thrived in transition but would miss 11 field goals in a row. As the Blue Devils failed to separate, the Spartans turned things around and made field goals on six consecutive possessions, tying it 35-35. Duke led 39-35 to close the half behind Mark Williams dunking on the last two offensive trips.

Roach played one of his best games of the season going 6-10 with 15 points. Banchero was 8-14, scoring 19 points to go with his four assists. Gabe Brown was 4-6 on three-pointers with a team-high 18 points. Marcus Bingham Jr. scored 16 points, blocked three shots, and secured 10 rebounds, six of which were on the offensive end. The two Spartan seniors were awesome to end a season that didn’t look too promising at certain points during the regular season.

Krzyzewski won his last game against colleague Tom Izzo. It’s Krzyzewski’s 99th NCAA Tournament win, 26th Sweet 16, and 1,200th win of his career.