March Madness 2022: Coach K’s last ride continues as Duke closes out Spartans

Mike Krzyzewski’s feelings started to circulation with just a few seconds left on the clock, when it was lastly sure Duke would prolong his final NCAA Match run.

He whirled round to face the part the place his household was sitting behind him and prolonged each arms to level their method in celebration. He traded high-fives and hugs with his players, then shared an extended postgame hug at midcourt with Michigan State’s Tom Izzo after beating his good friend within the Corridor of Fame coaches’ bittersweet closing tussle.

Krzyzewski’s retirement shall be on maintain for a number of extra days a minimum of. The Blue Devils survived a tense end to beat the Spartans 85-76 on Sunday, incomes one other journey to the Candy 16 and giving their coach his newest milestones.

Trailing by 5 close to the 5-minute mark and with their season in peril, the Blue Devils (30-6) responded with one large shot after one other, a resilient efficiency amid unusual strain.

It was nearly an excessive amount of for Krzyzewski, who struggled to seek out the precise phrases to begin his postgame information convention.

“You guys had been terrific, man,” Krzyzewski told the players sitting alongside him, his voice quavering with emotion. “I am so — I am actually proud to be your coach.

“It had nothing to do with teaching in these final 4 or 5 minutes. All of it needed to do with coronary heart and togetherness. They adopted their hearts and God bless them — we’re within the Candy 16.”

Star freshman Paolo Banchero scored 19 factors and muscled within the go-ahead drive by means of contact with 2:05 left, placing the Blue Devils forward to remain within the record-extending 1,2 hundredth win of Krzyzewski’s profession. Duke reached the Candy 16 for the twenty sixth time beneath Coach Ok, who introduced final summer season that his forty second season with the Blue Devils could be his final.

These teaching milestones got here in opposition to his longtime good friend and frequent rival. The 75-year-old Krzyzewski — who has 5 NCAA titles and a record-tying 12 Last 4 appearances — improved to 13-3 in opposition to the 67-year-old Izzo, who gained the 2000 nationwide championship and has reached eight Last Fours.

Krzyzewski will proceed his push for a career-capping championship when the second-seeded Blue Devils head to San Francisco to third-seeded Texas Tech on Thursday within the West Area semifinals.

The Blue Devils shot 61% after halftime and 57% for the sport, and so they wanted each little bit of that manufacturing to outlive in opposition to the seventh-seeded Spartans (23-13) in a riveting struggle to the ultimate minute.

“It’s the NCAA Match, our season’s on the road each single recreation,” Banchero stated. “That’s actually all that must be stated. … We had been like, ‘We’ve acquired 4 minutes: we will both lay down or flip it up.’”

The 6-foot-10 Banchero had the largest basket, placing the ball on the ground and scoring in a mauling drive in opposition to the smaller Joey Hauser for the 75-74 lead. Then Jeremy Roach hit a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock for a four-point lead with 1:16 left, sending an already-charged crowd right into a full roar.

“I feel they confirmed their truest colours,” Izzo stated.

“A median group with out a number of coronary heart may’ve simply drifted into the sundown. And I assumed they reached down in Mike Krzyzewski trend, and did an unbelievable job of form of taking it at us. We simply didn’t have sufficient left.”

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Much more spectacular, Duke did all of it with freshman starter A.J. Griffin sidelined the final 8:24 with an obvious left ankle damage. The Blue Devils closed out the sport by outscoring the Spartans 20-6.

Duke ahead Wendell Moore Jr. celebrates after their win as Michigan State ahead Joey Hauser appears to be like away throughout in a school basketball recreation within the second spherical of the NCAA match on Sunday, March 20, 2022, in Greenville, S.C.
((AP Picture/Chris Carlson))

Gabe Brown scored 18 factors to steer Michigan State, whereas Tyson Walker scored all 13 of his factors after halftime. The Spartans shot 42% for the sport and had just one subject objective over the ultimate 2 1/2 minutes in possession-by-possession struggle as Duke made its transfer.

“I wish to be proud, however on the identical time, mad that we’re not taking part in one other night time,” stated Spartans large man Marcus Bingham Jr., who had 16 factors and 10 rebounds. “I feel the fellows went on the market and performed laborious from the primary half into the second half. We fought. Just a few conditions, we simply didn’t pull by means of.”

BIG PICTURE

Michigan State: Izzo, who gained the 2000 NCAA title and has eight Last Fours in 27 seasons, acknowledged all of the “bizarre feelings” positive to come back for each groups on this recreation. His group gave itself an opportunity however could not sluggish the Blue Devils’ late push. Izzo fell to 2-4 in opposition to Krzyzewski within the NCAA Match.

“I will all the time pull for Mike,” Izzo stated. “I feel he is accomplished some issues that can go down within the lore of basketball. You may bear in mind this recreation in a number of methods. My method of remembering it will not be fairly as fulfilling, however will probably be respectful.”

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo walks off the court docket after a loss to Duke in a school basketball recreation within the second spherical of the NCAA match, Sunday, March 20, 2022, in Greenville, S.C.
((AP Picture/Brynn Anderson))

Duke: Banchero, a prime NBA prospect, and 7-foot-1 Mark Williams (15 factors, eight rebounds, 5 blocks) overpowered the Spartans — who’ve loads of size themselves — and confirmed how good the Blue Devils could be within the entrance court docket. Duke was balanced with 5 double-figure scorers, together with Wendell Moore Jr. (15 factors), Roach (15) and Trevor Keels (12) — all of whom hit key pictures late.

“I knew as soon as we acquired our foot within the door,” Moore stated, “there was no trying again from there.”

UP NEXT

The Blue Devils meet the Pink Raiders, who personal KenPom’s No. 1-rated protection by surrendering 84.6 factors per 100 possessions this yr.