GREENVILLE, SC – Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was not waiting for New Orleans to win a championship.
While the rest of Mr. Sweet 16 Field is celebrating punching their tickets, the No. 2 Blue Devils consistently beat them in their collection of hardware, last Sunday in an 85-76 victory over No. 7 Michigan State at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
“That’s how we approach it,” Krzyzewski said. “Every game is a championship. You have to beat a great team every time you play. It’s like a championship.”
After rolling in No. 1 title play on Friday, a 78-61 victory over No. 15 Cal State-Fullerton, Krzyzewski took down Tom Izzo, extending his all-time record over his old friend to 13-3 and avenging an NCAA. Tournament loss for the Spartans in 2019.
The victory was the number 1,200 in Krzyzewski’s great career, a feature he dropped after the game.
“Of course, there is a lot of gain against quality competition,” Krzyzewski said. “Today was a good example of that. So, 1,200 is great, but seeing my grandchildren and my family after the game cheering and crying was better.
Krzyzewski had his own battle with emotions when he talked about his resilience and the strength of his team, turned to his players with tears in his eyes and said, “You were great, man!
“I’m really proud to be your coach. It had nothing to do with coaching in the last four or five minutes, it was all about heart and cooperation, and they followed their hearts and God blessed them; we are in Sweet 16.
And they are two time champions.
Star freshman Paolo Banchero certainly got the “win a title” memo, shot the go-ahead bucket with just under two minutes in regulation and then blocked Spartan striker Joey Hauser’s shot attempt on the next ball possession. It put up a critical Jeremy Roach three-pointer to increase the lead.
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“We went down and, in the timeout, we said, ‘We can either lay down or build up,'” said Banchero, who posted 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the win. “It’s about having a heart and just trusting each other.”
The Duke certainly played championship-level defense on Hauser, whose hot hand produced a career-high 27 points in their round 1 victory over No. 10 Davidson. On Sunday, Hauser scored just five points and scored 1 of 5 from the field for the match.
Even after Spartan striker Gabe Brown picked up Hauser’s slack in the first half with 14 points, Duke kept Brown at just four points in the second half, two of which were on an outburst.
“I knew I had to bring my A-game,” Banchero said of his defensive effort.
It was not a flawless defensive performance; and perhaps that is to be expected in a heavyweight fight in March. The Duke sometimes had minor defensive abuses around the perimeter that turned into open-mindedness. Michigan State capitalized, hitting 11 of 22 (50%) for the game – well above their 37% season average.
Nevertheless, Krzyzewski was laser-focused on the Duke’s determination after falling five points behind with just over four minutes in regulation. “We were so good in the last part of the game, I can not tell you how proud I am of them,” he said. “They believe in each other.”
This bond was born last summer on two road trips to the Nike Peach Jam tournament. Banchero, Roach, Trevor Keels, Wendell Moore Jr. and Mark Williams piled into a car to inspire their old AAU teams and developed a closeness that set the tone for the entire season.
“Since then, we’ve called ourselves the Road Crew,” Moore said. “We knew it was going to come down to us at some point, so when we got to the Huddle, we just looked into each other’s eyes and we knew we were not going to lose.”
Two games and two championships in the bag in Greenville, Krzyzewski gave the Road Crew the coordinates for his next quest for titles.
“We’re taking it to San Francisco,” Krzyzewski said.
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