INDIANAPOLIS—After Michigan State came out firing on all cylinders, the Blue Devils went back to basics—get the ball to Jahlil Okafor.
Top-seeded Duke leads seventh-seeded Michigan State 36-25 at the break in the NCAA tournament national semifinal at Lucas Oil Stadium. Okafor shook off a slow start to pour in a team-high 10 points at the break, putting the Blue Devils another 20 minutes away from a berth in Monday's national championship game.
When the teams met in the Champions Classic down the street at BankersLife Fieldhouse in November, the Blue Devils jumped out to a fast start behind the post play of Okafor. Michigan State's guards landed the first punch Saturday.
Junior Denzel Valentine drilled his first three attempts from behind the arc and senior Travis Trice added a corner trey as the Spartans sprinted out to a 14-6 lead by the first media timeout. Using the ball-screen action that hurt the Blue Devils early in conference play, the veteran backcourt was able to find room to shoot, and took full advantage of the open space.
Michigan State's offense went stale from there, though, failing to score for five minutes before Trice went coast-to-coast for a layup to push the lead back to 16-13. Okafor countered with a three-point play to tie the game and stuffed home a Justise Winslow miss to give Duke its first lead of the game.
The Chicago native has put his full arsenal of post moves on display so far, knocking home a bank shot from outside the key in addition to his usual back-to-the basket work.
Duke stretched its lead to 28-20 with 4:32 left in the half. After senior Quinn Cook drilled a 3-pointer—the Blue Devils' first of the half—Marshall Plumlee stuffed Marvin Clark Jr. under the basket, which led to a run-out for freshman Tyus Jones. Using Plumlee as a human shield, the Apple Valley, Minn., found daylight to finish a lay-up and force Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo to take a timeout.
Here are some observations from the first half:
- Michigan State was 5-for-20 from behind the arc in the teams' Nov. 18 meeting in Indianapolis. The Spartans made their first four Saturday but missed their next five attempts.
- Both teams struggled from the floor after a hot start. The Spartans didn't score between the under-16 and under-12 timeouts, and Duke made just two of its next six shots.
- Izzo has mostly let his posts go one-on-one with Okafor in the post, with multiple sets of eyes watching and waiting to help.
- Grayson Allen was the first Blue Devil sub off the bench for head coach Mike Krzyzewski. The Jacksonville, Fla., native hit the deck a few times for loose balls but was unsuccessful.
- Justise Winslow picked up two fouls for Duke before the under-8 media timeout and sat for three minutes before checking back in for Amile Jefferson. Cook was also whistled for a pair of personals and Jefferson picked up his third late in the half.
- Duke has applied a full-court man press after most made baskets and dead balls.
- The Blue Devils outscored the Spartans 30-11 after the first media timeout.
- Cook's corner triple was one of only two Duke made 3-pointers in the half. The Blue Devils attempted just six in the period.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.