THE OPENING TIP

• With a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line, familiar foes No. 2-seed Duke battles No. 7-seed Michigan State in an NCAA Tournament second-round game on Sunday in Greenville, S.C.
• The game tips at 5:15 p.m. ET on CBS with Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery and Grant Hill on the call. On the radio locally, David Shumate and John Roth call the action on the Blue Devil Sports Network from Learfield.
• Duke and Michigan State are meeting for the 18th time, including each of the last six seasons. The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 13-4 — with a 13-3 record under head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
• The most frequent coaching matchup in NCAA Tournament history, Coach K and Tom Izzo meet for the sixth time. The programs are meeting for the seventh time in the NCAA Tournament.
• A win puts Duke in the Sweet 16 for the 28th time — the 26th time under Coach K, gives Coach K his 1,200th career victory and clinches the program its 16th 30-win season.
• The Blue Devils own the best winning percentage in NCAA Tournament history at .752 (115-38), while the program’s 115 wins rank third and five championships are fourth most.
• The coach with the most wins in NCAA Tournament history (98-30), Coach K is in his NCAA-record 36th tournament and his .766 tourney win percentage is second to only John Wooden (.825).
• Duke opened the NCAA Tournament with a 78-61 win over Cal State Fullerton on Friday with five Blue Devils in double figures, led by freshman Paolo Banchero’s 17 points and 10 rebounds.
• Sophomore Mark Williams scored 15 points, added seven rebounds, five blocked shots and a career-high five assists. It marked just the third 15-5-5-5 game in Duke history and first since 1989.
• A second-team consensus All-America selection, Banchero is the program’s 75th All-American (52nd under Coach K). He is the 31st consensus All-American under Coach K.
• Williams’ .712 field goal percentage is second on Duke’s single-season list. He would lead the nation, but falls just short of the minimum five field goals per game to qualify (4.8).
• Sophomore Jeremy Roach is averaging 12.8 points and shooting .513 (20-of-39) from the field over Duke’s last five games.

NCAA TOURNEY SUPREMACY
With five national titles and 114 tournament wins, Duke is among the most successful programs in NCAA Tournament history … Since winning the program’s first title in 1991, Duke’s five titles are the most in the NCAA in this span … Duke’s 24 consecutive appearances between 1996 and 2019 rank tied for the third longest streak in NCAA history … The Blue Devils have played in 36 of the past 38 NCAA Tournaments that have been contested … Duke is 115-38 (.752) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, which is No. 1 in winning percentage and third in wins … The coach with the most wins in NCAA Tournament history (98-30), Mike Krzyzewski is in his NCAA-record 36th tournament. Coach K’s .766 tourney win percentage is second to only John Wooden (.825).

DUKE VS. MICHIGAN STATE
Sunday’s game is the 18th meeting between Duke and Michigan State, with the Blue Devils leading 13-4 … Duke has won four of the six meetings in the NCAA Tournament — Sunday’s seventh NCAA Tournament meeting makes Duke-MSU tied for the second most-frequent matchup in tournament history … The teams are meeting for the sixth straight season … Under Coach K, Duke is 13-3 versus the Spartans … Coach K and Tom Izzo are squaring off in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time, the most common coaching matchup in tournament history. Duke is 4-2 in those games.

NCAA FIRST ROUND NOTABLES
Duke improved to 115-38 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including 98-30 under head coach Mike Krzyzewski … The game marked 1,083 days between Duke’s last NCAA Tournament appearance, which was March 31, 2019 vs. Michigan State in the East Region final in Washington, D.C. … Duke and Cal State Fullerton met for the first time. The Blue Devils are now 5-0 versus current members of the Big West Conference … Duke is now 4-2 all-time when playing at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, including 4-1 in NCAA Tournament games … Duke blocked 10 shots for the game – including nine in the first half. Duke’s NCAA Tournament record for blocked shots was 11 vs. Temple on 3/26/88 in an East Region final in East Rutherford, N.J. … The 10 blocks were Duke’s most in an NCAA First Round game … Duke finished with 21 assists on 30 field goals … The game marked Duke’s first in the NCAA Tournament seeing three different Blue Devils record 10+ points, 5+ rebounds and 4+ assists … Freshman Paolo Banchero finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds for his 11th double-double — three in the last four games … Sophomore Mark Williams scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting with seven rebounds, along with a career-high five assists and a game-high five blocked shots … Williams posted just the third 15-5-5-5 game in Duke history — Mike Gminski had 23 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and eight blocks vs. Vermont on Dec. 28, 1979 and Danny Ferry had 29 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and five blocks vs. Arizona on Feb. 26, 1989 … Williams’ five blocks were the most by a Blue Devil in an NCAA Tournament game since Amile Jefferson had six vs. South Carolina in the 2017 Second Round in Greenville, S.C.

ON THIS DATE
Duke is 10-3 when playing on March 20 and has won eight in a row … Duke last played on this date in 2015 — an 85-56 win over Robert Morris in Charlotte.

BANCHERO: CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICAN
Freshman Paolo Banchero has been named a Consensus Second Team All-American for the 2021-22 season, becoming the 31st consensus selection under head coach Mike Krzyzewski … Banchero was a second-team pick from the NABC and the USBWA, while the Sporting News and the AP had him on the third team … Banchero is the ninth Duke freshman to be named an All-American, joining recent first-year stars Vernon Carey Jr. (2020), RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson in 2019 and Marvin Bagley III (2018) … Overall, Banchero is the 75th Duke All-American and the 52nd under head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

ON THE DEFENSIVE
Duke leads the ACC in three-point defense (.314) and is second in field goal defense (.415) … Duke has held 20 opponents this season to .300 or worse from behind the arc (17-3 in those games) … Duke has held 22 of its 35 opponents this season to 70 points or less … Junior Wendell Moore Jr., an ACC All-Defensive pick, is one of the nation’s premier perimeter defenders, regularly drawing the opponent’s best offensive match up. This season, opponents are shooting just .354 from the field and .301 from three-point range with Moore as the primary defender … The ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year, sophomore Mark Williams is one of the best rim protectors with his 7-foot-7 wingspan. He leads the league and is 11th nationally in blocked shots (2.83) … Syracuse (twice regular season), Virginia Tech (regular season), Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Virginia and Boston College each made their fewest number of threes of the season against the Blue Devils … The three-point percentages by Gardner-Webb, Lafayette, Syracuse (home), VT (home), Wake and ND were each their lowest this year … In Duke’s defensive gem at Notre Dame, the Irish were limited to a  season-low 43 points, and it marked the fewest points Duke allowed in an ACC game since a 68-40 win over Clemson on Jan. 8, 2013. It was the fewest points Duke allowed in an ACC road game since a 56-41 win at Virginia on Feb. 16, 2011.

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