During his press conference Tuesday, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said that if he were a teacher, he would not assign cumulative grades, instead relying on what his students showed him at the end of the semester.
Krzyzewski's current pupils would be doing quite well in that class.
"When do you get it?" Krzyzewski said. "For us, our guys get it right now. They understand the game plan better. It's now become instinctive. They've been terrific in this tournament."
After a rocky start to the season, the same can be said for Michigan State.
The Spartan team that the Blue Devils defeated back in November—in Indianapolis of all places—was early in the process of figuring out its identity. Gary Harris, Adreian Payne and Keith Appling—the core of last year's Elite Eight team—had left for the pro ranks. Alvin Ellis III did not play due to a foot injury. Bryn Forbes' finger injury affected his ability to dribble.
And Michigan State still stayed with Duke for most of the night, falling 81-71 after Tyus Jones took control of the game down the stretch. The new Spartan trio of leaders—Travis Trice, Branden Dawson and Denzel Valentine—combined for 46 points, with Trice briefly flirting with a triple-double.
"Under the circumstances right now, we competed and this team will get better," Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said after the game.
It did not happen right away, but Izzo's promise came true. Duke, Kentucky and Wisconsin have been in the Final Four conversation all season long. Few people expected the Spartans to be in Indianapolis back in February.
After a Feb. 7 home loss to Illinois, Michigan State's record sat at 15-8 overall and 6-4 in the Big Ten. Backed into a corner, the Spartans reeled off 12 wins in their next 15 games, coming within 15 seconds of knocking off the Badgers in the Big Ten title game and navigating their way through Virginia and Louisville—two of the top four teams in the ACC—to reach the Final Four as the champions of a chaotic East Region.
As the team's elder statesmen, Trice and Valentine have been through the gauntlet, and their veteran presence helped Michigan State right the ship after hitting rock bottom Dec. 20, when the Spartans lost at home to Texas Southern.
"This team's been battle tested," Izzo said Tuesday in East Lansing, Mich., before the Michigan State left for Indianapolis. "When I say 'battle tested' I mean Dawson and Trice, they played on an aircraft carrier [against North Carolina in 2011]—I mean real battle tested."
Izzo's clubs are always tough and gritty, ranking in the top 40 in rebounding yet again, powered by the athleticism and tenacity of Dawson—who at 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds will likely match up with Duke's Justise Winslow for the second time this season. This year's Spartans also rank fourth in the nation in assists with 17.1 per game, more than five of which come from Trice.
The senior has been crucial to Michigan State's resurgence. As the featured guard with Appling and Harris out of the picture, Trice's scoring, rebounding and assist outputs doubled from last season. Entering his final postseason, Trice has taken his play to another level. The Huber Heights, Ohio, native has been held to fewer than 15 points just once since Feb. 16, and is averaging 19.8 points per game in the NCAA tournament.
"I think he's been the best player in the tournament of any team. I don't think there's a kid playing any better than that kid," Krzyzewski said. "Trice is just out of sight right now. The cockiness, the confidence—he's a very difficult guy to defend."
Just as Quinn Cook has reaped the benefits of playing off the ball with Tyus Jones at the point, Trice has seen a dramatic uptick in his scoring with the insertion of freshman guard Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr. into the starting lineup midway through the season. The freshman started Michigan State's next game after the loss to Illinois and has started every game since.
A true point guard who has yet to reach double-figures in a game this season, the freshman has dished out 2.3 assists per contest and earned a ringing endorsement from former Spartan Draymond Green during the summer for his leadership skills. Roommates on the road, Trice and Nairn Jr. have developed a mentorship relationship similar to that of Cook and Jones.
"I don't think of it this way, but in a small way for a small period of time, Tum took Travis' job," Izzo said. "Travis Trice has been so good with that kid."
Beating a team twice in a season is difficult—much less twice in the same city—but that is the task ahead of Duke to make it to Monday's national title game. Krzyzewski and his players understand that both teams have changed dramatically since their first meeting at BankersLife Fieldhouse Nov. 18, and will not rely much on the film from that game in developing their game plan.
"The most relevant stats are the last four games, the last few games," Krzyzewski said. "We have season stats, conference stats, but the stats I look at are the last four games, because they tell you more about who that team is and who that player is right now."
By those criteria, Michigan State will be a very tough out come Saturday night.
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