SAN FRANCISCO — In the aftermath of Duke’s comeback against Michigan State last weekend, most of the attention – from fans and Tom Izzo alike – was focused on Jeremy Roach, and the way the Duke point guard took over the game in the final minutes, driving and attacking and making a critical 3-pointer that extended Duke’s late lead from one to four. The Blue Devils never looked back.
That was mildly unexpected from Roach, whose emergence was obvious over the latter part of Duke’s season even when the Blue Devils were struggling as a team. But he took it to a new level against the Spartans.
Less notice was taken of the way Paolo Banchero turned the game on four key possessions, twice driving on Joey Hauser and then stonewalling Hauser’s own drive at the other end, in part because it was the kind of individual dominance everyone expected from Banchero from the moment he showed up on campus but has only shown in flashes.
