Paolo Banchero #5 of the Duke Blue Devils reaches for a rebound against the Michigan State Spartans in the first half during the second round of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 20, 2022 in Greenville, South Carolina.
Mike Krzyzewski’s last dance is still on as his No. 2 Duke squad beat No. 7 Michigan State 85-76 to reach the Sweet 16. The Blue Devils separated themselves in crunch time after a close shootout, with clutch buckets from Jeremy Roach and Mark Williams.
The latest game was the 16th instance of Coach K facing off against MSU head coach Tom Izzo and their sixth time meeting during March Madness, the most of any two coaches in event history.
Krzyzewski finishes the matchup winning 13 of those games to Izzo’s three, underlining his case as one of the greatest in the history of college basketball. The legendary Duke coach is also at 99 career tournament wins, the most in history.
Duke forward Paolo Banchero, who is predicted to be a top pick in this year’s NBA draft, impressed yet again as he recorded 19 points, four assists and seven rebounds.
Duke will now face either No. 3 Texas Tech or No. 11 Notre Dame for a spot in the Elite Eight.
