Duke's defense puts the clamps on Michigan State to send Blue Devils to Sweet 16
Duke squeezed past Michigan State in a 85-76 win thanks to a stifling defensive effort by the Blue Devils in the final five minutes.
With 5:10 to go, Duke trailed 70-65 following two free throws by Michigan State’s Marcus Bingham Jr.
From there No. 2-seeded Duke went on 20-6 run to advance to the Sweet 16 in San Francisco in coach Mike Krzyzewski's final season.
Blocks by Mark Williams and Paolo Banchero and a steal by Wendell Moore Jr. were three key stops down the stretch that gave Duke momentum boosts. Each play made the crowd roar as Duke rallied back.
What led to those key stops was a shift in the Duke's defensive strategy.
"We went to a little bit different coverage in the full court, like a soft, soft press, just so they didn't get a run because they can really run," Krzyzewski said. "Then we started -- we were going to switch 1 through 5. Mark has improved so much during the year in his lateral movement that he can stay in front, and that's what he did. Like on that particular play. Then our thing is no 3s, no fouls. So we actually did that. And we won."
Duke went on a 8-0 run to take the lead and went ahead 80-74 with just under a minute left.
What sealed off any chance of a miraculous comeback was Duke’s intensity while Michigan State had the ball in the closing moments.
When the Spartans needed to get a shot up quickly, they simply couldn’t, Duke’s length and athleticism sealed off any open opportunity.
"IWe were in the time-out, and we were just like, look, we got three -- I think it was like 3:40-something or four minutes," Banchero said. "We were like, 'Man, we got four minutes. We can either lay down, or we can turn it up.' That's really all it was, man. Just fighting, like you said, having heart. And just trusting each other, really."
As time ticked away, Michigan State settled for contested shots that were off the mark. Once they fouled the first Duke player to grab the rebound, it was too late. Duke players began celebrating and the crowd rose to their feet.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clutch defense helps Duke advance to Sweet 16 in Coach K's last season
