INDIANAPOLIS—After Jahlil Okafor touched the ball just once in the first four minutes of the game, the Blue Devils made sure that their first Final Four trip in five years would not end without the ACC Player of the Year leaving his mark.
Okafor's dominance was on display as top-seeded Duke shook off an early Michigan State surge, controlling the game for the final 35 minutes and cruising to a 81-61 victory against the seventh-seeded Spartans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Playing in the first Final Four of their careers, Okafor, Quinn Cook and Justise Winslow combined for 54 points to power the offense and ensure that their season extends two more days.
"I felt I wanted the game. Hopefully I could have that look every game," Okafor said. "I should always want to dominate. [My teammates] saw that and we have one more to get."
After dispatching the Spartans in Indianapolis for the second time this season, the Blue Devils will face either Kentucky or Wisconsin Monday night for a chance to bring home their fifth national title and first since 2010.
Michigan State dealt the first blow, draining its first four shots from behind the arc to create an early eight-point cushion and leading 14-6 at the first media timeout. But from there, Duke's defense put the clamps on Travis Trice, Denzel Valentine and the rest of the Spartans.
"Our guys knew how difficult of a game it was going to be, and after the first four minutes we knew it was going to be more difficult than we had thought," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "The last 36 minutes we played great basketball. That’s the best we’ve played in the tournament, and we’ve played really well in the tournament."
Okafor got one touch before the first media timeout and drew a foul, but the the Blue Devils (34-4) gave the big man a steady diet of entry passes the rest of the half. The 6-foot-11 center got 1-on-1 coverage from Gavin Schilling, then Matt Costello, then former walk-on Colby Wollenman.
Nobody could slow him down.
The ACC Player of the Year dropped in 10 points in the first half on 4-of-6 shooting, helping Duke erase the early deficit. Feasting on the single coverage, Okafor used dunks, spin moves and face-up jumpers to help the Blue Devils claim their first lead of the game.
"I’m ready for either—I’m ready to be double-teamed or play with one man," Okafor said. "With me being surrounded by so many great players, it doesn’t matter about me being double-teamed because they’re going to make shots and make them pay. I don’t know how to stop me."
Led by Okafor's 10 points and seven from Winslow, Duke outscored the Spartans 30-11 in the final 15:44 of the period to claim a 36-25 halftime lead. The Chicago native finished with 18 points and six rebounds.
Michigan State (27-12) went to the locker room trailing in both of its games last weekend, but Duke scored the first six points after intermission and built a 48-31 lead by the first media timeout of the half. Several baskets were finished at or above the rim, as Cook found success penetrating the lane and leaked out in transition for an easy deuce. The senior captain finished with 17 points and one of Duke's two 3-pointers.
Trice attempted to slice into the Blue Devil lead with a personal 5-0 run and a Valentine drive cut it to 54-41, but each time the Spartans threatened, Duke had an answer. Krzyzewski's trio of freshman starters combined to score the Blue Devils' next eight points to push the lead back above 20 points.
"We knew how we started the last second half against Gonzaga, and that’s something Coach really hit on at halftime," Winslow said. "We came out with a lot of energy—we had the ball to start the half and just wanted to execute and get some buckets."
Okafor and Winslow put the pressure on the Michigan State posts, getting Costello and 6-foot-6 swingman Branden Dawson into foul trouble midway through the second half. Duke got to the free throw line at will Saturday, converting 27-of-37 attempts at the charity stripe to help build the big lead.
Valentine scored 22 to lead the Spartans, but it was not enough against a Duke team that shot 52.0 percent from the floor and earned 21 more free-throw attempts, a product of the Blue Devils' ability to drive hard through the lane.
Behind disruptive defense, a dominant Okafor and consistent free-throw shooting, Duke shined in every facet of the game to punch its ticket to the national title game.
"This team, though, has deserved to be in [the title game], so it makes it feel even better," Krzyzewski said. "The lights and the stage have not been too big for them. They’ve felt like they can sing their song and do their dance, and they’ve done it—they’ve done it really well."
The Blue Devils will get another rematch with a chance to win it all Monday at 9:18 p.m. when they take on No. 1 seed Wisconsin. The Badgers ended Kentucky's perfect season with a 71-64 win Saturday night after Duke's win. The Blue Devils beat Wisconsin 80-70 in Madison, Wisc., Dec. 3.
Monday's national title game is set to tip at approximately 9:18 p.m.
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