Imagine this: Michigan State’s Elite Eight takedown of Duke hinged on a raised eyebrow.
Let’s go back to Sunday’s game. Duke’s hopes of getting a last shot at forcing overtime (or winning) were slim as Michigan State set up to inbound the ball with 4.7 seconds remaining. Normally, that would be plenty of time for Duke to foul and get a final shot, but Duke still had two fouls to give.
The Blue Devils’ best chance was for a steal on the inbounds pass. Otherwise, three consecutive fouls coming immediately at the inbounds catch and then Michigan State free throws were simply not going to present enough time for a shot. Michigan State’s Xavier Tillman knew that and had his own way of ensuring that Duke wouldn’t even get a chance to do either.
Shortly before passing the ball in, Tillman gave teammate Cassius Winston a subtle look, signaling for him to run up the sideline. The Duke players didn’t pick up the expression as Winston took the pass and ran out the clock untouched.
That’s exactly where Michigan State’s experience paid off. The Spartans read the situation and were able to communicate the perfect final play without actually saying anything at all.
Between the go-ahead 3 and that last play, it was brilliant execution by Michigan State down the stretch.
