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Michigan State Basketball: 5 reasons the Spartans will beat Duke in Elite 8

By Connor Muldowney

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 29: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates a basket against the LSU Tigers during the first half in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 29, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 29: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates a basket against the LSU Tigers during the first half in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 29, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Duke has always been a tough test for Michigan State basketball but here’s why the Spartans will finally take down the mighty Blue Devils.

Is this the year? Will Michigan State finally overcome that Duke hurdle and advance to the Final Four for the eighth time in Tom Izzo’s tenure and first time since 2014-15?

Sunday’s matchup is shaping up to be a thriller as both Duke and Michigan State have the talent to get to Minneapolis, but there’s only one spot to be had. The Spartans may not have as much athleticism or NBA talent, but they’re every bit as hungry and ready as the Blue Devils.

You can bet Cassius Winston and the two seniors will be more than prepared for the Blue Devils, but stopping Zion Williamson may not be entirely possible.

Will the Spartans finally take down the Blue Devils? Yes, and here’s why.

5. Duke has cheated death twice now

Have you ever seen the Final Destination movies? Basically the character’s demise has been planned out for them already and if they tried to cheat it, they wouldn’t be able to out-run death.

A similar scenario has been facing Duke this postseason.

North Dakota State gave the Blue Devils a surprise in the first half of round one, taking an early lead but eventually getting blown out of the water. That was expected. But what wasn’t expected was an upset alert against UCF. The Knights should have won in the round of 32, but an Aubrey Dawkins put-back in the final seconds rolled off the rim and Duke won by a point.

The same situation happened against Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils couldn’t put the Hokies away and they had a chance to tie it in the final seconds, but a wide open alley-top layup was missed, giving the Blue Devils a two-point win.

Duke can’t cheat death forever and it has shown that it’s more than beatable — fans would even tell you that they don’t understand how the Blue Devils are still dancing.

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