The No. 2 Michigan State Spartans defeated the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament Sunday, knocking off the number one overall seed and favorite to win the tournament. The Spartans topped Duke and its team of decorated freshman, 68-67.
The victory sends the No. 2 seed Spartans coach Tom Izzo to his eighth Final Four. Michigan State’s most recent trip was in 2015, when it lost to Duke in the national semifinals.
Cassius Winston, the Big Ten Player of the Year, had 20 points and 10 assists.
Duke had escaped its previous two games, winning them by a total of three points, but couldn’t pull out this one.
Williamson, the superb freshman expected to be the top pick in this year’s NBA draft, had 24 points and 14 rebounds. RJ Barrett, Duke’s other star freshman, scored 21 points but also had seven turnovers and missed one of two free throws with 5.2 seconds left with a chance to tie it.
Michigan State will face West Region champ Texas Tech for a berth in the national title game. Virginia will face Auburn.
