March Madness: 10 best moments from the 2019 NCAA Tournament
3. Kenny Goins sinks the game-winning three over Zion Williamson
After surviving two brushes with death in the prior rounds, destiny appeared to be on Duke’s side. Against a Michigan State team that was 1-11 against Duke under Tom Izzo, the Blue Devils quickly built a nine-point lead in the first half, but the Spartans ended on a 13-0 run to enter the locker room with a 4-point lead.
The game went back and forth after that with both teams trading leads regularly in the second half. Zion was a monster for Duke, pouring in 24 points and grabbing 14 rebounds against a Spartans’ team that admitted he was much tougher than they thought after the game.
Despite all of that, the game came down to a play that Williamson couldn’t make. With Duke up by one with just 34 seconds to go, the ball ended up in the hands of Spartans’ forward Kenny Goins, who lined up for a three-point attempt.
Williamson came charging for the block, a maneuver he had pulled off on several occasions this year, but he narrowly missed the ball this time. Goins calmly stared down Williamson and followed through with his shot, which went through the net to give the Spartans a 68-66 lead.
That would prove to be the winning basket as Michigan State held on for a 68-67 win, ending Duke’s run shy of the Final Four, which seemed remarkable after the incredible displays the Blue Devils put on all season long.