Experience Trumps Talent as Michigan State Seizes Its Moment Against Duke

Michigan State's experienced group waited for its opportunity and did not misfire, sending star-studded Duke home and giving arguably Tom Izzo's toughest team yet a once-in-a-lifetime chance at reaching college basketball's mountaintop.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — It was the wrong decision and the right one, unscripted but years in the making. Kenny Goins was not supposed to shoot, but he was also not supposed to be here, on the floor in the final minute of an Elite Eight game against Duke, or really, playing meaningful minutes at all for Michigan State. Goins was a walk-on. This is his fifth year. This was his moment.

The winning play was probably more intricate than anything Duke ran all night, but…