Duke basketball vs. Michigan State: Live Updates

Duke 71, Michigan State 61, (final): After opening the second half shooting 3-for-16 from the field, Michigan State was able to convert some easy baskets late courtesy of a backcourt turnover by Duke and a handful of transition opportunities. But for much of the second period, the Duke defense had ground the Spartan offense to a halt, and the resultant Blue Devil lead was too much for Michigan State to overcome late in the game. Duke succeeded at slowing the game down late, utilizing excellent patience on the offensive end and maintaining its willingness to attack the basket and draw contact. The Blue Devils took advantage of Rasheed Sulaimon's penetrating ability, and the freshman made 5-0f-6 free throws in the final three minutes to ensure that the surging Spartans remained at arm's length until the final buzzer.

Duke 60, Michigan State 49, (3:52, second half): Duke's play was a little bit sloppy coming out of the break, as their first offensive possession ended in a shot clock violation. Defensively the Blue Devils gave Michigan State fits in the paint, as Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee rejected shots and Tyler Thornton came away with a big strip on what should have been an easy layup. Duke extended its lead to 11—its largest lead of the night—on two Seth Curry free throws.

Duke 56, Michigan State 48, (7:53, second half): Seth Curry finally missed a 3-pointer, then fouled Gary Harris hard on the other end to prevent a fast-break layup. After remaining on the ground for a few moments, Harris emerged unscathed from the foul and connected on 1-of-2 free throws. Ryan Kelly quieted a raucous Michigan State crowd with a nifty three-point play to extend Duke's lead back to eight. A block from Kelly and transition layup by Sulaimon gave the Blue Devils their largest lead of the game—10—and forced Spartan head coach Tom Izzo to use a timeout. Mason Plumlee ended Duke's momentum when he committed his fourth foul just before the media timeout trying to battle Derrick Nix for an offensive rebound.

Duke 47, Michigan State 43, (11:45, second half): Duke came back onto the court and immediately forced a 5-second violation on the Spartans. Plumlee took advantage of the turnover by throwing down a reverse dunk. Derrick Nix made it two turnovers in a row when he got called for an offensive foul—his third of the game. The whistles kept going against Michigan State when Matt Costello was called for an offensive foul of his own. Adreian Payne drew contact from Ryan Kelly while shooting a three to stop the clock and regain some ground on the scoreboard. The officials have been very quick with their whistles this half, as there have already been 13 team fouls called this half.

Duke 41, Michigan State 38, (15:10, second half): The Spartans started the second half trying to establish big men Derrick Nix and Adreian Payne in the paint, giving them the first touches of the half on offense. Seth Curry somehow got even hotter during halftime, drilling all three 3-point attempts of the period. Upon reentering the game, Tyler Thornton immediately tipped a few passes away and made life much harder for Michigan State's point guard Keith Appling.

Duke 32, Michigan State 31, (halftime): Gary Harris finally got on the board after a pretty layup around Ryan Kelly. Harris scored 23 in the Round of 32 game against Memphis. Adreian Payne also emerged for the Spartans, making his presence felt with an emphatic blocked shot and thunderous dunk at the other end. He scored all seven of his points after the final media timeout of the first half. Ryan Kelly's 3-point shot still isn't calibrated correctly. He has missed all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. He's now missed 17 straight triples.

Duke 28, Michigan State 22, (3:56, first half): Quinn Cook's offense has been slow to emerge this game. The sophomore guard has just one assist, has missed both of his field goal attempts and has three turnovers. Tyler Thornton defensively has been an ace for the Blue Devils, wreaking havoc and causing turnovers that have resulted in transition points for Duke. Keith Appling continues to keep Michigan State close with his play on the offensive end. The story for Duke offensively has been Seth Curry. The senior has 14 points, including three 3-pointers.

Duke 20, Michigan State 18, (7:49, first half): Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee have been using their agility offensively to create not only for themselves but also for their teammates. Seth Curry has been running his man off screens offensively to give him free looks at the basket from deep. He now has eight points, leading the way for Duke. Branden Dawson picked up his second foul trying to steal the ball from Plumlee in the backcourt, relegating him to the bench. Things got sloppy for both teams in the few possessions before the media timeout, as both Michigan State and Duke committed unforced turnovers.

Duke 15, Michigan State 14, (11:39, first half): Thornton's hard foul on Nix prior to the media timeout was reviewed and ruled intentional, sending Nix to the line for two free throws and giving Michigan State the possession. Ryan Kelly's shooting slump from long range continued, as he missed his first 3-point attempt of the game. He did, however, hit his first 2-point attempt of the night, already giving him more points than he scored in the Round of 32. The officials have been blowing a quick whistle against the Spartans thus far tonight when it comes to Mason Plumlee getting positioning in the paint. A Curry mid-range jump shot has Duke ahead at the second media timeout. Both teams have had the touch offensively, making well more than 50 percent of their shots.

Duke 10, Michigan State 9, (15:07, first half): Mason Plumlee immediately used his quickness and athleticism to get around 270-pound Derrick Nix to put in a pretty reverse layup and get Duke on the board first. Plumlee had four points before the first media timeout. On the Spartans' first offensive possession Kelly made matters worse for Nix by rejecting his shot attempt. Seth Curry opened up the game a bit shot-happy, launching two 3-pointers and a long-two in the games' first four possessions. Tyler Thornton started the game on the bench, but immediately made his presence felt with a corner 3-pointer, followed by a hard foul on Nix on the other end. Keith Appling leads the way for Michigan State with five points on 2-of-2 shooting.

Starters

Duke: G Quinn Cook, G Seth Curry, G Rasheed Sulaimon, F Ryan Kelly, F Mason Plumlee

Michigan State: G Keith Appling, G Gary Harris, F Branden Dawson, F Adreian Payne, C Derrick Nix

Some pregame notes:

• Duke won the 1991 and 2010 NCAA tournaments in Indianapolis, with the 2010 title coming right here in Lucas Oil Stadium.
• Mason and Marshall Plumlee, and Gary Harris are all originally from Indiana.
• The last time these two teams met was November 15, 2011 at Madison Square Garden. The Blue Devils' victory was record breaking No. 903 for head coach Mike Krzyzewski.