As March Madness nears its end and the upsets seem to subside, it's normally the top-tier coaches who lead their teams deep in the championship run. Two of the coaches at the top of that list continued to add to their legacy on Sunday, as Tom Izzo and Mike Krzyzewski led their teams back to the Final Four.
The 7th-seeded Michigan State Spartans outlasted 4th-seeded Louisville 76-70 in overtime to reach their 7th Final Four under Izzo. Travis Trice led the Spartans with 17 points, while Branden Dawson added 11 rebounds, including a key putback with 31.7 seconds left in overtime.
Denzel Valentine scored 15 points for MSU, who won for the 12th time in their past 15 games. That streak includes wins over Virginia and Oklahoma in the NCAA tournament, and a near upset of Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament.
Wayne Blackshear had 28 points for the Cardinals in a game that saw 11 lead changes. Louisville got almost no production from junior forward Montrezl Harrell, who struggled in his final collegiate game. Head coach Rick Pitino announced that Harrell will be heading to the NBA draft this summer.
Meanwhile, the Duke Blue Devils are heading back to the Final Four for a 16th time after a 66-52 win over the 2nd-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs. The win for top-seeded Duke also marks Coach K's record-tying 12th Final Four appearance.
Despite rolling his left ankle early on, Justise Winslow finished with 16 points, including a big 3-pointer down the stretch to help Duke pull away. Tyus Jones added 15 points and Jahlil Okafor finished the night with 9 points and 8 rebounds.
Krzyzewski tied UCLA's John Wooden for the most Final Four appearances, ahead of 3 coaches who have 7, including Izzo. The Blue Devils are in their first Final Four since winning it all in 2010 as a No. 1 seed.
Duke and Michigan State will square off in Indianapolis on Saturday night, as will Kentucky and Wisconsin. The Blue Devils are early 4.5-point favorites over the red-hot Spartans.
The 7th-seeded Michigan State Spartans outlasted 4th-seeded Louisville 76-70 in overtime to reach their 7th Final Four under Izzo. Travis Trice led the Spartans with 17 points, while Branden Dawson added 11 rebounds, including a key putback with 31.7 seconds left in overtime.
Denzel Valentine scored 15 points for MSU, who won for the 12th time in their past 15 games. That streak includes wins over Virginia and Oklahoma in the NCAA tournament, and a near upset of Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament.
Wayne Blackshear had 28 points for the Cardinals in a game that saw 11 lead changes. Louisville got almost no production from junior forward Montrezl Harrell, who struggled in his final collegiate game. Head coach Rick Pitino announced that Harrell will be heading to the NBA draft this summer.
Meanwhile, the Duke Blue Devils are heading back to the Final Four for a 16th time after a 66-52 win over the 2nd-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs. The win for top-seeded Duke also marks Coach K's record-tying 12th Final Four appearance.
Despite rolling his left ankle early on, Justise Winslow finished with 16 points, including a big 3-pointer down the stretch to help Duke pull away. Tyus Jones added 15 points and Jahlil Okafor finished the night with 9 points and 8 rebounds.
Krzyzewski tied UCLA's John Wooden for the most Final Four appearances, ahead of 3 coaches who have 7, including Izzo. The Blue Devils are in their first Final Four since winning it all in 2010 as a No. 1 seed.
Duke and Michigan State will square off in Indianapolis on Saturday night, as will Kentucky and Wisconsin. The Blue Devils are early 4.5-point favorites over the red-hot Spartans.
