Duke peaking at right time
The Blue Devils were dominant in their national semifinal victory over Michigan State.
INDIANAPOLIS - Duke maybe has not had the toughest road to the championship game, but the Blue Devils have been the most dominant team in this tournament.
Michigan State dominated for 4 minutes on Saturday; Duke for 36.
"Our kids for the next 36 minutes, they played lights-out basketball,'' Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said of the 81-61 win. "The defense was terrific. We drove the ball with such strength. I actually think our offense gave our defense a push in how hard we were taking it to the basket . . . That's the best we've played in the tournament, and we've played really well in the tournament.''
Duke really has not been threatened. Its offense was always championship-caliber. Now, the defense has caught the offense at exactly the right moment.
Duke's freshman class is actually more talented than Kentucky's, and that really showed against the Spartans. Michigan State's three veterans - Travis Trice, Denzel Valentine and Branden Dawson - really had to work for their 50 points. The rest of the team got 11.
The Spartans' defense leaned on the three-point line so Duke took the ball to the rim and lived at the foul line, getting 42 lane points and getting to the line 37 times.
Freshmen Justise Winslow and Jahlil Okafor combined with sensational senior Quinn Cook to shoot 18-for-30 for 54 points. Freshman point guard Tyus Jones is always the coolest guy in the gym, even when that gym is a dome with 72,238 fans. Duke is really good and getting better every game.