WASHINGTON — As soon as the brackets were announced, this matchup was anticipated. Analysts excitedly predicted the showdown. Fans complained about the potential of the best No. 1 seed against the best No. 2. And, now, two weeks later, the game is here.
The ACC Tournament champion against the Big Ten Tournament champion. Duke and its one-and-done freshmen against Michigan State and its experience. Tom Izzo against Mike Krzyzewski, 19 Final Four berths between the two. National Player of the Year candidates Zion Williamson and Cassius Winston sharing the same court.
“That’s why you come to college,” said Williamson, the heavy National Player of the Year favorite, “to be a part of games like this.”
Duke (32-5) enters the blockbuster East Region final wobbly, coming off dramatic last-second victories over No. 4 Virginia Tech and No. 9 Central Florida, wins decided by a combined three points and favorable Blue Devils bounces. It may be without third-leading scorer and projected top-10 draft pick Cam Reddish (knee), who missed the Sweet 16 win over the Hokies, and now faces its stiffest test yet in the physical Spartans.
Michigan State (31-6) has won its three tournament games by an average of 16 points, has lost just once since Feb. 5, winning 13 of its past 14 games. It is fourth in the country in rebounding margin (plus 9.5), third in assists (18.6), and tied for third in blocks (5.5). And unlike Duke, Izzo’s team has been through March before, relying heavily on two seniors and two juniors.
“We got a big assignment ahead of us,” Williamson said. “I expect the level of physicality to be at its [highest], because it’s the Elite Eight. Nobody wants to go home.”
Still, Duke will have the two best players on the floor in Williamson and RJ Barrett, the potential top two picks in June’s NBA draft. Since Williamson — the hulking 6-foot-7, 285-pound phenom — returned from a sprained right knee, the Blue Devils have won six straight — beating the likes of Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Florida State. Williamson has averaged 26.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and has shot an out-of-this-world 70.1 percent from the field in that span.
“Khalil Mack is a guy I look at and say, ‘Geez, if I could borrow somebody from the Bears, maybe we could cover him,’ ” Izzo said jokingly. “He’s got the most incredible first step. That’s why he’s getting all those steals. He can take one dribble and cover more space than most human beings that I know can do. And so then he has the strength to finish at the end.
“So he’s not Superman, but he’s damn close.”
Against Izzo, Krzyzewski has been almost superhuman as well, owning an 11-1 lifetime record. The two teams last met this time of year in the 2015 Final Four, with Duke cruising to a 20-point victory en route to its last national championship. Izzo raved about Krzyzewski’s ability to adapt, describing him as a “chameleon — he can just figure out a way to make it work for him.”
“You always keep an eye on the programs — and I think everybody does this in life — that have been successful,” Izzo said. “And you try to figure out how do they do it, and then how do you beat them. And I figured out a little bit how they’ve done it. I haven’t figured out as well how to beat them. I’m still working on that.”
Izzo’s players are hoping to get him his second victory against Duke. They knew this was possible when the brackets were released, and they are ready to take down the team everyone picked would win it all back in November.
“Now that we’re in this situation, we’re not afraid of it,” said Winston, the Big Ten Player of the Year. “We embrace challenges. We embrace opportunities.”