On this day in history: Michigan State shocks Duke in Elite 8 on Kenny Goins dagger

On March 31st, 2019, the Michigan State Spartans shocked the world and knocked off Zion Williamson and Duke in the Elite 8.

To this day, the 2018-19 Duke Men’s Basketball roster is one of the most talked about in basketball. Headlined by megastar Zion Williamson and flanked by top ten picks RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish and a stud point guard in Tre Jones, that year’s Duke team was considered one of the most talented in NCAA Men’s Basketball history. However, they were not unbeatable as some thought, and that was proven when they ran into Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans on March 31, 2019.

In a hard-fought game, with 35 seconds left, Izzo drew up a play that didn’t focus on one of his three stars in Aaron Henry, Cassius Winston, or Xavier Tillman. Instead, after Cassius Winston passed the ball to Tillman, it was Kenny Goins who flared out to the three-point line. Zion Williamson, distracted by a cutting Cassius Winston, was just a half-second late to stop Goins as he put up a dagger three which put MSU up 68-66 over the Blue Devils.

You can watch that play here:

Duke had a chance to tie, but RJ Barrett missed one free throw, allowing the Spartans to get the ball back with a 68-67 lead. Cassius Winston, now infamously, was able to slither away from Duke to avoid a foul and run out the clock, ceiling the Elite 8 win for Michigan State.

You can watch the last seven minutes of that game here: