On This Date: Michigan State Tops Duke to Reach 2019 Final Four

East Lansing, Mich. – One year ago today, March 31, 2019, then-redshirt senior Kenny Goins hit a 3-pointer with less than a minute left and Cassius Winston dribbled out the final seconds as No. 2 seed Michigan State beat No. 1 seed Duke, 68-67, at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. to win the NCAA East Regional.

The win advanced Michigan State to the 2019 Final Four – a nation's-best eight Final Fours in 21 years for Michigan State – and several of those players shared their thoughts on the win and the team.

Guard Cassius Winston
On the team last year…
"I think last year, sort of like this year, we were playing our best basketball toward the end of the year and that's big. Last year, on the Final Four team, we played together and focused on our defense. We allowed our defense to win games and that's the biggest part.

Forward Kenny Goins
On his game-winning 3-pointer…
"I wasn't even the first option, I'm pretty sure Cassius was, but I just had to be ready to shoot when he got the ball. As soon as it left my hand, I knew it was going down. I just had to wait for it to god down at that point. I was definitely living in the moment and celebrating, but I snapped back into reality and knew we had to get a stop too."

Forward Aaron Henry
On what it felt like to go to the Final Four, especially as a freshman…
"It was wonderful, it was second-to-none. It was probably one of the highlights of my life so far. I was so glad to be part of that team and be a part of something so special. I never thought I'd be going to a Final Four in my freshman year and I didn't imagine it being that hard either. No one tells you about that part, but it was something I dreamed about since I was a kid and every kid should get to feel how we did on that day last year. It's a goal that you reach, but there's a lot of work that goes into it too.

Guard Joshua Langford
On being on the sidelines for the game and how much going to the Final Four meant to his teammates…
"It was great to watch. I was just glad that God allowed us to have the favor that He's given us and gave that team last year. I was so happy for Kenny to hit that shot because he put in some much time for this team and for Michigan State. For him and for Quaido (Matt McQuaid) to finish their careers with a Final Four appearance, that's special man, and you can't trade that in for the world. For any of us who play basketball, you can't get more special than that.

Forward Kyle Ahrens
On making the Final Four…
"It was just awesome to see what those guys did, just always finding a way to win. We had so many different guys come up big in the last couple of minutes, so it was just a great feeling. It was amazing to be part of something so special.

On This Date: Michigan State Tops Duke to Reach 2019 Final Four

Players Mentioned

Kyle Ahrens

Kenny Goins

Aaron Henry

Joshua Langford

Matt McQuaid

Cassius Winston

Related Videos