Elite 8 2013: Duke Outlasts Michigan State to Advance Behind Curry’s Big Game
By Ben Beecken
Seth Curry. I could stop here, and that would be probably be enough. The Duke senior shot 8 of 17 from the field, including a sparkling 6 of 9 from long range and a perfect 5 of 5 from the charity stripe. The Spartans didn’t know what hit them, and despite hanging within striking distance for the majority of the game, Michigan State did not hold the lead at any point after taking a brief 18-17 advantage at the midway point in the first half.
The Blue Devils eventually won by the score of 71-61.
Starters Derrick Nix, Adreian Payne, and Gary Harris combined to shoot just 8 of 31 from the field for coach Tom Izzo’s squad, and only Payne and Keith Appling managed to score in double digits. The Spartans just could not find a consistent way to slow down Curry, and their own lack of offensive firepower was enough to do them in.
In addition to Curry’s impressive game, Rasheed Sulaimon shot 12 of 14 (!) from the free throw line and scored 16 points, and Mason Plumlee added 14 points and 7 rebounds.
Duke will advance to face the Louisville Cardinals on Sunday in the Elite Eight in a rematch of a fantastic game that Duke won on a neutral court back in November. However, Louisville was minus one Gorgui Dieng in that game….things will be different this time around.
The Blue Devils opened as 3.5 point underdogs to Louisville, the tournaments No. 1 overall seed.
Be sure to stay tuned to FanSided.com throughout the entire tournament as we keep you up to date with the latest results.