NCAA Tournament Final Four preview: No. 7 Michigan State Spartans vs. No. 1 Duke Blue Devils, Saturday, 6:09 p.m. ET, TBS
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Michigan State Spartans (27-11)
No. 7 seed, East Region
Coach: Tom Izzo (20th season)
Bid: At-large/Big Ten
Starting lineup
G Travis Trice, 6-0, Sr., 15.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 5.1 apg
G Tum Tum Nairn, 5-10, Fr., 2.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.4 apg
F Denzel Valentine, 6-5, Jr., 14.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.4 apg
F Branden Dawson, 6-6, Sr., 11.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg
C Gavin Schilling, 6-9, So., 5.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg
Story lines
— Tom Izzo has the Spartans in the midst of another improbable NCAA Tournament run. With a 76-70 overtime win against No. 4 Louisville, Izzo improved to 13-9 when facing a higher seed in the tournament, becoming the only coach in NCAA history to reach three Final Fours as a No. 5 seed or lower. This year's trip is Michigan State's seventh under Izzo and its first since 2010. Only John Wooden (12), Mike Krzyzewski (12) and Dean Smith (11) have more.
— Uncharacteristic for an Izzo-coached team, free throws were a fault for Michigan State this season (62.8 percent). So it's a bit ironic that the Spartans' free-throw shooting has been critical in their last two wins. In the Sweet 16 win against Oklahoma, Denzel Valentine (82.9 percent this season) and Travis Trice (70.9 percent) were a perfect 8-of-8 combined from the foul line, including two crucial makes in the game's final seconds. Trice was perfect (4-of-4) again against Louisville as Michigan State shot 75 percent as a team in their regional final game.
— The scripture suggests no Michigan State postseason run would be complete if it rostered a true star. This year's edition is holding true to that belief. Three of the Spartans' top four scorers from last season's team that lost in the Elite Eight to eventual national champion UConn are gone. Replacing them are a revolving door of Branden Dawson, Trice and Valentine on any given night. Trice has been the most consistent scorer. His 23 points led an upset of No. 2 Virginia in the Round of 32 followed by team highs of 24 versus Oklahoma and 17 against Louisville.
MORE: Devils get victory | Duke's elite performance | Linemakers opening lines
Duke Blue Devils (33-4)
No. 1 seed, South Region
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski (35th season)
Bid: At-large/ACC
Staring lineup
G Quinn Cook, 6-2, Sr., 15.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.7 apg
G Tyus Jones, 6-1, Fr., 11.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.7 apg
F Justise Winslow, 6-6 Fr., 12.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg
F Amile Jefferson, 6-9 Jr., 6.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg
C Jahlil Okafor, 6-11, Fr., 17.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg
Story lines
— Duke's convincing 66-52 win over No. 2 Gonzaga secured the 12th Final Four bid in Mike Krzyzewski's long and accomplished career, tying John Wooden for the most all-time by a head coach. The Blue Devils' last appearance came in 2010 when they also won the national championship. Krzyzewski's teams are 12-7 all-time in the Final Four.
— Krzyzewski owns an 8-1 record in head-to-head matchups with counterpart Tom Izzo. The lone loss came in 2005 when No. 1 seed Duke and No. 5 seed Michigan State met in the Sweet 16, a 78-68 win for the Spartans on their run to the Final Four that year. Otherwise, the Blue Devils have had their way with the Spartans over the years, including a 81-71 win at the Champions Classic in Indianapolis earlier this season.
— Duke has been led by its freshmen trio of Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow and headliner Jahlil Okafor. The three combined for 40 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists in their Elite Eight win over Gonzaga. Okafor, the ACC player of the year, has been especially dominant, posting team-high totals of 21, 26 and 28 points against Robert Morris, San Diego State and Notre Dame in the Blue Devils' run through the tournament.