The No. 2 seed Duke Blue Devils defeated the No. 3 seed Michigan State Spartans and advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament in the Midwest Region Friday night, 71-61.
The Spartans and Blue Devils approached the game with two very different styles. Michigan State wanted to score in the lane and pound the glass while Duke wanted to win with the 3-point shot and free throws.
Although Michigan State did win the inside game, Duke outscored Michigan State 21-9 from the 3-point line and 24-18 from the free throw line.
The Spartans held a four point lead with 13:47 to go in the first half, their largest of the game, before Duke went on an 18-6 run to take an eight point lead.
Although Michigan State closed the first half with a 9-2 run and held a brief lead early in the second half, Duke reclaimed control with a 9-0 run.
The Blue Devils led by as many as 13 points in the second half and held off the Spartans by making 9-10 free throws in the final three minutes.
Seth Curry led the Blue Devils with 29 points. Curry was 8-17 from the floor and 6-9 from long range. Rasheed Sulaimon added 16 points while Mason Plumlee contributed 14 points and seven rebounds.
Keith Appling led the Spartans with 16 points on 5-9 from the floor. Adreian Payne scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Coach Krzyzewski is now 8-1 against Michigan State since he has been at Duke.
Duke will face No. 1 seed Louisville in the Elite Eight on Sunday at 5:05 p.m. (ET). Louisville advanced after beating No. 12 seed Oregon in the Sweet 16 Friday, 77-69.
For more information, visit www.NCAA.com.
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