Count Mike Krzyzewski among the Spartans' believers, after watching them play up close.
"Going forward, with the system that they have, the defense they play, the rebounding and (Cassius Winston), they have a heck of a chance," he said. "They have a heck of a chance to win it all."
Winston led Michigan State, per usual, Sunday night, putting up 20 points and 10 assists while committing just one turnover. He also had four steals. Krzyzewski called him the best guard in the country prior to the game, and Winston lived up to the billing.
"He is as good a player as we've played against," Krzyzewski said. "I mean, he's a big-time player. ... He's coached by a heck of a guy in (Tom Izzo), and he's able to run what Tom is thinking in real time and feel the game. That really is one of the biggest gifts a player can give a coach. And he has that probably as well as anyone in the country."
After playing 39 minutes in Michigan State's win over LSU in the Sweet 16, Winston played all 40 against Duke. The ball was fittingly in his hands at the final buzzer, and Winston hurled it into the air as his teammates on the bench rushed onto the floor.
"That’s exactly how I pictured it," Winston said. "This whole year, I knew we had this in us. And I didn’t doubt us one step of the way."
Michigan State raced out to an early lead, but Duke went on a 21-5 run to take a 30-21 lead with about five minutes left in the first half. The Spartans closed the half on a 13-0 run, with Winston scoring eight of the points and adding two assists.
Krzyzewski called him the "difference-maker."
"Whenever we did get a three-, four-point lead or it was close, he made big plays, either scoring or assisting," Krzyzewski. "He's the best guard we've played against. Ten assists and one turnover."
Duke star Zion Williamson, who posted game-highs in both points (24) and rebounds (14), tipped his hat to the Spartans and the Most Outstanding Player of the East Region.
"They're a great team. They played a great game. And Winston, he took over. My hat's off to them," said Williamson. "Congrats to Michigan State. They deserve it."
Michigan State will play 3-seed Texas Tech Saturday in the Final Four. Izzo is looking for the second national championship of his career.
"Tom has a great program," said Krzyzewski. "They have terrific teams each year. Just like us, they're always knocking on the championship door. And the number of times we've played against one another, tonight I think they showed with Winston, you have a player that can make the right play at the right time. He has tremendous poise."
It's Izzo's eighth trip to the Final Four, and arguably the most improbable one. Michigan State lost two lottery picks from last year's team, then lost Joshua Langford in December, then lost Kyle Ahrens in the Big Ten Tournament.
"Tom's done a remarkable job with his group, with some of the injuries. I told them, it's an honor to play against you guys. And I'm happy for him. I'm not happy that we lost. But going forward, he and his program are a deserving program. They do it the right way. They respect the game. So it's an honor to be in this level of game with them," said Krzyzewski.
For Izzo, it was just his second win against Krzyzewski and Duke in 13 games. He praised the Blue Devils for the way they handled the loss.
"That had to be a crushing loss for Duke. They had such an incredible year, with the injuries, and at the end it's tough. I told my team, the way that Mike Krzyzewski and his players handled it was so classy. I was almost -- not embarrassed -- but I said I had to really look at how I make sure my team handles losses," said Izzo. "I think we do a decent job, but that was off-the-charts classy."