CHICAGO — Preseason All-American point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. posted 18 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds as Michigan State never trailed in a 79-73 upset victory over No. 2 Duke on Tuesday night at the United Center.
The Champions Classic clash delivered an early signature win for Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, who earned his first victory over Duke counterpart Jon Scheyer. The Spartans set the tone immediately, storming to an 11-2 lead in the first three minutes and holding the Blue Devils to just 33 percent shooting from the field, according to the Detroit News.
Defense Stifles Duke Attack
Michigan State built a 34-25 cushion at the break after holding Duke to 7-for-27 shooting in the first half. Sophomore Jordan Scott anchored the defensive effort, finishing with nine rebounds, six blocked shots and two steals. Freshman Jasiah Jervis and Scott hounded the perimeter, limiting Duke starter Caleb Foster to a 2-for-10 shooting performance.
Cam Ward provided vital support off the bench for the Spartans, contributing 14 points, including 11 during the opening half, USA TODAY Sports reported. Scott tallied five of his blocks in the first 20 minutes alone.
Duke center Patrick Ngongba II, who was playing through an illness according to USA TODAY Sports, finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four blocks. Bloomfield Hills native John Blackwell paced the Blue Devils with 17 points, but struggled to find rhythm against the Spartans’ coverage, shooting 6 for 16.
Withstanding Duke’s Second-Half Push
Michigan State extended its margin to 64-51 with eight minutes remaining after Fears set up an easy dunk to cap a run that forced a Duke timeout. Backed by late 3-pointers from Blackwell and Foster, Duke whittled the deficit to 73-68 with 2:03 to play following a pair of free throws by Dame Sarr.
Scott responded with a driving layup to stem the surge, and the sophomore blocked a shot by Sarr with 32.4 seconds left to prevent a closer threat. Fears then sealed the outcome at the free-throw line, where he scored 12 of his 18 points on the evening.
“I thought they outcompeted us,” Scheyer told reporters, as quoted by the Detroit News. “They played more together. Fears controlled the whole game. I thought the difference, the role players were incredible.”
Historical Turnaround for Izzo
The triumph improved Michigan State’s all-time mark in the Champions Classic to 7-9 and pushed Izzo’s career record against Duke to either 4-15, as reported by the Lansing State Journal, or 5-16, according to the Detroit News. The outlets also conflicted on Michigan State’s ranking entering Tuesday, with the Detroit News citing the Spartans as No. 6 while USA TODAY Sports had them at No. 5.
“I really believe we played our best basketball of the year,” Izzo said via the Detroit News. “As far as beating Duke, I’m apologizing to our fans, to my wife, to my kids because they’ve beaten us like a drum.”
Michigan State moved to 3-0 on the young season and next hosts Northern Iowa on Friday, Nov. 13, at the Breslin Center. Duke fell to 2-1.
