After falling behind in the opening four minutes of Saturday afternoon’s national semi-final against Michigan State, Duke used their stifling defense and opportunistic offensive attack to overwhelm the Spartans, advancing to Monday night’s title game with an 81-61 win.
The Blue Devils were led by a trio of Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Quinn Cook–the three combined for 54 points–and proved to be a bit too talented for MSU, who finished the year 27-12.
It’s a final. Duke wins 81-61. Overwhelming talent wins.
— Jerry Palm (@jppalmCBS) April 5, 2015
Coach K continues to have Tom Izzo’s number. Now 9-1 in head-to-head matchups.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 5, 2015
Duke will now await the winner of the second Final Four game between undefeated Kentucky and Big Ten heavyweight Wisconsin. The Blue Devils matched up against the Badgers back on Dec. 3 in Madison, winning 80-70.
With another stellar performance, Winslow’s NBA Draft stock continued its meteoric rise from just over a month ago while his fellow freshman teammate, Okafor, rebounded from back-to-back difficult outings against Utah and Gonzaga.
Denzel Valentine was one of the lone bright spots for Sparty, finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds, including five hits from beyond the arc. Senior guard Travis Trice finished with 16 points and five assists, shooting six-of-13 from the field.
Duke could enter Monday night as the underdog regardless of their opponent, with some speculation saying that even Wisconsin could be favored by as many as three-points.
Mike Kryzyzewski will be competing for a chance to win his fifth national title, cementing his legacy as–at the very least–the greatest college basketball coach since John Wooden at UCLA.
