Reflecting on Michigan State's 2019 Elite Eight Victory
Sunday was the fifth-year anniversary of Michigan State's epic defeat of Duke in the 2019 Elite Eight. It was the last time Spartans coach Tom Izzo and his squad stamped their ticket to the Final Four.
The Spartans beat the Blue Devils 68-67 on March 31, 2019 in what was a hard-fought back-and-forth game with an eighth trip to the Final Four on the line for Izzo. Michigan State, led by former Spartan point guard Cassius Winston, was a slight underdog, being a No. 2 seed facing off against the No. 1 seeded Blue Devils, who were led by top projected NBA prospect Zion Williamson. Winston helped to secure the win for the Spartans, scoring 20 points, 14 of which were from inside the 3-point line. Former Michigan State forward Xavier Tillman followed with 19.
The winning play was a 3-pointer by former Spartan forward Kenny Goins that left only a couple of seconds to play for Duke. Goins started as a walk-on who earned a scholarship as a Spartan and was not expected to get any meaningful minutes, let alone be on the court in the final seconds of an Elite Eight game.
Goins wanted to prove the nation wrong, so he delivered. He took the shot with Williamson leaping towards him, who had earlier blocked a 3-point shot from Goins. But this time, in the clutch, Goins got the shot off, the most important shot of the night.
The Spartans were tasked with inbounding the ball with 5 seconds left after former Duke guard RJ Barrett made one of two free throws to make it a one-point game. Tillman would find Winston on the run, and the guard would dribble out the clock, avoiding the Blue Devils' attempt at an intentional foul.
Michigan State went on to face the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Final Four and was defeated in a tough game in which Texas Tech pulled away late. Nonetheless, Izzo and his Spartans fought hard to get there, and upsetting what was arguably the best team in college basketball that season was quite the accomplishment.
Follow us on Facebook: @SpartanNation
