Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski watches as players shoot during an open practice Thursday, March. 28, 2013, at Lucas Oil Stadium in
Indianapolis, Ind. The Spartans will play the Duke Blue Devils in the
NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at 9:45 p.m. Friday. Adam Toolin/The State News
The city of Indianapolis is no stranger when it comes to intriguing matchups between MSU and Duke, as both programs have squared off twice at the capital of Indiana in two different locations.
It was only last weekend that the Spartans punched their ticket to the Final Four after knocking off Louisville in the East Regional final at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York making this the seventh time in which MSU has competed in the national semifinals underneath head coach Tom Izzo.
As the lone No.7 seed among the four teams remaining in the tournament, this will be the 10th time in which Izzo and fellow coaching legend Mike Krzyzewski do battle on the sidelines since Izzo became the head man in East Lansing before the 1995 season.
Krzyzewski is riding an impressive 8-1 record over Izzo, including 2-1 in tournaments since 1999. This weekend’s showdown inside Lucas Oil Stadium is already shaping up to be another memorable showdown between the two.
Here are three of the most noteworthy MSU vs. Duke contests, with the most recent coming in the beginning of this season:
2014 Champions Classic
Jahlil Okafor had the potential of being a lottery pick in the 2015 NBA draft before the season even began, but his performance against MSU in the Champions Classic at Bankers Life Field House back in November might have been the boost needed to upgrade his stock at an early part of the season.
The true freshman finished with 17 points and five rebounds against then-No. 19 MSU to cap off an 81-71 victory. Justise Winslow, who is predicted to be a high lottery pick, added 15 points.
Duke outscored the Spartans in points off turnovers with 24-4 that night, while MSU finished with their worst points off turnovers differential (-20) in the last four seasons.
2011 Champions Classic
A long lasting memory for Krzyzewski during the first ever meeting in the Champions Classic between Duke and MSU was seen at Madison Square Garden in front of a sellout crowds of 19,979. Krzyzewski surpassed Bob Knight as the most winningest Division I college basketball head coach, who defeated the Spartans to garner his 903rd victory.
“I was in a no-win situation,” Izzo told reporters following the 74-69 loss. “I was either going to be the guy who threw the ball to Henry Aaron for the record breaker or the guy who shot Bambi.”
2005 Regional Semifinal
Being ACC Tournament champions with a 27-6 record was enough for Duke to receive the No. 1 seed in the Austin Regional. After blowing through the first two rounds, only MSU stood in their way of hoisting their first NCAA championship since 2001.
Coming out of the locker room for the second half tied up at 32, Maurice Ager and company pulled away late to advance to the Elite 8. The Spartans would eventually face future champion North Carolina in the Final Four at St. Louis. It was the first time that MSU competed in the Final Four since 2001.
2013 Regional Semifinals
As a three seed, MSU defeated both Valparaiso and Creighton to advance to the Sweet 16, for the program's third ever meeting with Duke, who came in as a two seed behind the talent of Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry, both of whom were later honored on the Midwest all-regional team.
Despite having the likes of Derrick Nix, Keith Appling and Adreian Payne leading the way, a 10-point difference was the cause of MSU failing to compete with eventual champion, Louisville in the regional final. It was Izzo's 11th Sweet 16 appearance at the time.
1999 National Semifinals
A Mateen Cleaves led Spartans fight their way to the program's third Final Four appearance, before winning the Big Ten championship and receiving a bid as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
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Their title hopes came to a crashing halt when MSU met Duke in the Final Four at Tropicana Field, when Elton Brand, Corey Maggette and company advanced to the finals after defeating the Spartans, 68-62. It was Krzyzewski's ninth Final Four as the Blue Devils' head coach.
