Both the Duke Blue Devils and Michigan State Spartans will compete against each other at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday for a chance to play for the national championship.
According to Mason Levinson of Bloomberg, Michigan State managed to beat Louisville in overtime, while Duke made it to the Final Four for the first time since 2010, beating Gonzaga 66-52. In the process, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski became the first college men's coach to pass the 1,000-win mark.
"We beat a hell of a team and our defense the last 16 minutes was spectacular, not good," 68-year-old Krzyzewski said at a news conference. "I love these guys and they came through. I mean, they came through. So, we're off to Indy. It's a nice thing to be able to say."
Krzyzewski added that "my past is not important right now," turning his focus instead to beating Michigan State and possibly going all the way to the championship.
According to the Associated Press, Duke's win over Gonzaga will mark the team's 16th appearance in the Final Four, 12 of them under Krzyzewski. His accomplishment matched the all-time record set by UCLA's John Wooden.
"Justise Winslow had 16 points, including a big 3-pointer in the closing minutes, Matt Jones had 16 points, Tyus Jones had 15, and Jahlil Okafor added nine points and eight rebounds," the AP wrote in regards to the game against Gonzaga.
Based on that win, No. 1 Duke (33-4) will now face off against No. 7 Michigan State in Indianapolis. The Associated Press reported that the Spartans beat Louisville 76-70 in overtime to reserve their spot in the Final Four.
"The Spartans (28-11), who were nearly counted out of the tournament conversation in February, won for the 12th time in 15 games," AP wrote. "It's a run that included them knocking off second-seeded Virginia last weekend and third-seeded Oklahoma in the regional semifinal on Friday."
According to Jerry Landry of Rant Sports, Michigan State's strategy against Duke would most likely involve deploying Gavin Schilling, Matt Costello and Branden Dawson against Jahlil Okafor. Landry also elaborated on another possible strategy that could help pull an upset over the favored Duke.
"Another issue of note will be the pacing of Saturday's contest," Landry wrote. "For the Spartans to thrive, it'll be imperative to start on top and reach the summit quickly, fighting Duke from above and from an early advantage."
The NCAA Final Four game between Duke and Michigan State will air Saturday at 6:09 p.m. ET/3:09 p.m. on TBS. While a cable login is required to watch this game, online viewers can stream it on the official NCAA March Madness website and through various devices on the official app.
