Four defining moments from Duke and Michigan State's thriller that sent Coach K back to the Sweet 16
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's swan song will continue into the Sweet 16, as the Blue Devils outmatched a resilient Michigan State team for an 85-76 second-round win on Sunday.
It seemed like Duke was done for with Michigan State playing inspired and erasing a nine-point deficit to take a five-point lead with five minutes remaining.
"I'm an Army guy," Krzyzewski said in a TV interview after the game, "but it looked like our ship was sinking."
Then this young Blue Devils team found the extra gear it had been looking for all March. The same gear that seemed missing in Coach K's final home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium – an ugly loss to archrival North Carolina. And the same gear that was absent in the ACC tournament.
"For a young group, they showed incredible guts," Krzyzewski said. "It wasn't any coaching. I'm so proud of them."
Four defining moments of the game:
Jeremy Roach's clutch three-pointer
One sharp move Krzyzewski made at the start of the NCAA Tournament was starting Roach at point guard, giving the floor general confidence to come into his own. First he made a bucket with 4:19 remaining to slice Duke's deficit to 70-69. But it was his clutch three-pointer with 1:18 left that proved to be arguably the biggest play of the game. The Blue Devils were only up one and there was no time left on the shot clock when Roach drilled the triple to keep the momentum sailing the Blue Devils' way and give Duke a 78-74 cushion.
Paolo Banchero out-playing Joey Hauser
The clear-cut star of this team and a projected NBA lottery pick, Banchero took it right to Michigan State's star in aggressive fashion for a key bucket with 2:06 left to give Duke a 75-74 lead. Then on the subsequent play, Banchero blocked Hauser's attempt to counter – a play that fueled the Blue Devils and sent a strong message to Hauser and the Spartans. Banchero finished with 19 points but it was his assertiveness down the stretch that was most impressive. His ability to read the defense and create for himself and his teammates continues to be a difference-maker.
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Trevor Keels breaking out of slump
Krzyzewski has moved him to coming off the bench.
"Trevor's been struggling," Coach K said after the game. "Then he made that three."
It was a defining moment because it tied the score at 72 and was one of Duke's five three-pointers that helped show the Blue Devils were ready to answer Michigan State.
Wendell Moore's free-throw shooting, Mark Williams' blocks
In the final minute, Moore drained four crucial free throws to help put the game away. Williams made key defensive plays down the stretch to help Duke prevail. His block with 2:18 remaining on A.J. Hoggard set the Blue Devils up to take the decisive lead on the next play. Sometimes, it's the little things on defense that can ignite a team on offense and the clutch shot-making at the charity stripe that play a part in advancing.
Follow college basketball reporter Scot Gleeson on Twitter @ScottMGleeson.