Michigan State was game for the moment.
But the Duke’s talent was ultimately too much to overcome on Sunday in a high-profile NCAA men’s tournament game that saw the Blue Devils win an 85-76 victory to keep Mike Krzyzewski’s coaching career alive.
The Duke fought a Michigan State 3-pointer barrage and a late Spartan rally for Krzyzewski’s 1,200. To secure career victory, 26. Sweet 16 and a final victory over his friend and rival Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.
Duke held Michigan State Bay for much of the game. A Spartan flood in the second half gave Michigan State a 70-65 lead with 5:10 remaining, which increased the specter under Duke faithfully that this could be it for Krzyzewski. The 42-year-old Blue Devils head coach is scheduled to retire at the end of the Duke season.
The Duke closed the door with big runs in the final minutes
The Duke responded with a 20-6 run to end the match and guarantee that Krzyzewski would train another day. Krzyzewski ends his career 13-3 against Izzo.
“We were young for a while there,” Krzyzewski told reporters after the game. “And I was wondering if we were going to stay young … My guys were so tough in the last six minutes of the game. And in the last four or five minutes, the defense was incredible.”
Banchero steps Duke against MSU’s 3-point barrier
Paolo Banchero, as he has done for much of the season, led the way for Duke with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists as he shot 8 of 14 from the field. The 6-foot-10 Freshman forward has regularly shown off his arsenal of talents, making him a lottery pick in the June NBA draft. Michigan State had few answers when he worked his way to the post office, whether Banchero found his way into the basket or saw an open teammate with a pinpoint pass along the way.
The Spartans put up behind the 3-point arc, where they tied on 11 of 22 attempts. They responded to a 10-0 Duke run in the first half in their own 6:03 scoring dry run with seven straight-up buckets, four of which were 3-pointers. A 23-16 lead for Duke was reduced to 39-35 at the break. A game that threatened to get out of hand was hit again. It is a pattern that is repeated after the break.
Duke scored the first five points of the second half to extend his lead to nine points. But whenever the Blue Devils threatened to pull away, the Spartans found a long-distance answer – whether it was from senior Gabe Brown (18 points, 4 of 6 from 3), senior Marcus Bingham Jr. (16 points, 2 of 3 of 3) or Junior Tyson Walker of the bench (13 points, 2 of 3 of 3).
Michigan State ramps up pressure late
Finally, the shot captured Duke, who gave up an 18-6 Michigan State run late in the second half that saw the Spartans take their 70-65 lead in the final minutes of the game. Banchero and sophomore guard Jeremy Roach have responded with some layups to take the game to the latest media timeout. After the chance to rest and regroup, the Blue Devils took over the last four minutes of the match.
Aggressive defense and free kicks sealed the Duke victory. Two claws and a block by the Duke in the final 2:18 led to transition buckets or free throws at the other end. Meanwhile, Wendell Moore Jr. and Trevor Keels combined to score four free kicks in the final 16 seconds of the game to close the door.
“Instead of cracking, as I think some teams would be under that pressure, their little home court let them go a little bit.” Izzo said of the Duke, who played over a 3 1/2 hour drive from his Durham campus in Greenville, South Carolina. … “And they did all those shots in the end. And that’s impressive. And they deserve to keep going.”
Izzo named Roach and Moore Duke’s two best players of the day. Roach finished with 15 points, three assists and one steal. Moore scored 15 points, four assists and two steals while connecting on 9 of 10 free throws. Four of his free kicks came in the last minute of the game.
“I saw nothing like me in the bucket,” Moore said of that free kick. “I honestly did not hear a thing.”
Izzo talks to Coach K
While winning Krzyzewski’s career continues at least one game further, it marks the end of his long-standing rivalry with Izzo. The couple met in court shortly before the game.
Izzo told reporters that the Hall of Fame coaching icons also shared a moment after the game.
“We are now reminded in the hall,” Izzo said. “Before the game, there were not many memories. It was, I think, a mutual recognition. It was short and sweet. And so it should be.
“But we did not talk about wife and children, or his grandchildren, or where he was going on vacation or anything. It was just, he had to play another game, and I do not know what I do Prolly beat me for a Week because, not many times, you get the opportunity to be right on the threshold of something special. And it slips. “
Add Comment