Jon Scheyer’s first test of the new season didn’t go as planned Tuesday night.
Jeremy Fears Jr. and Michigan State made sure of that.
Fears and the Spartans completely shut down No. 2 Duke in the State Farm Champions Classic on Tuesday at the United Center in Chicago. No. 5 Michigan State led the entire way and earned a convincing 79-73 victory over the Blue Devils. Fears, a preseason All-American, posted a double-double with 18 points and 11 assists in the contest while establishing himself as the best point guard in the country. It was the 14th point-assist double-double of his career.
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This victory not only proves that Tom Izzo’s group deserves to be in the conversation among the top teams in the sport and be considered a real national title threat, but it also gives them some serious momentum with several notable tests still pending before Big Ten play begins.
Michigan State also got off to a perfect start. The Spartans made their first four shots, half of which came from deep, to spark an 11-2 run while turning down Duke four times in the first three minutes. That forced a quick timeout from Scheyer as the Blue Devils looked slow out of the gate. Absolutely nothing fell in love with them at first either. They made just two of their first 13 attempts and went roughly 0 of 8 from behind the arc to start the game.
While Duke cut the score to just one possession late in the period and eventually knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, Michigan State finished the half on a 7-1 run to take a nine-point lead into the locker room. Ethan Taylor made a huge layup in the final minute courtesy of Patrick Ngongba, and the Spartans forced a shot clock violation in a big defensive position in the final seconds.
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Duke ended up shooting just 26% and made just seven field goals in the first 20 minutes.
Michigan State didn’t slow down coming out of the break either. The Spartans pushed their lead to 14 points just minutes into the second half while completely pissing off the Blue Devils. Fears notched his double-double after performing a coast-to-coast ridiculousness.
Although the Blue Devils never completely disappeared, the Spartans had an answer every time they made a move. Whether it was a step-back 3-pointer from point guard Carlos Medlock while Fears rested on the bench, or Jordan Scott sneaking in to end an 8-0 run late in the half, Michigan State repelled every Duke surge the rest of the way to earn the six-point victory.
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John Blackwell led Duke with 17 points and five rebounds in the loss while shooting just 6 of 16 from the field. He was the only Duke player to make more than two baskets all night. Ngongba added 11 points and seven rebounds.
Cam Ward had 14 points and six rebounds off the bench to go along with Fears’ double-double for Michigan State. Jasiah Jervis added 10 points. The Spartans are now 3-0 on the season after blowout wins over Quinnipiac and Toledo.
Duke remains a real threat. Ngongba and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje are a dominant force on the interior, Cayden Boozer seems to have taken a step up after last season and Blackwell is a great addition to the transfer portal. But nothing was working Tuesday night, and it showed.
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And, to make their situation even more difficult, the Blue Devils still have several major matchups before ACC play begins. They will face No. 1 Florida, No. 3 Illinois and No. 4 UConn over the next month. If they fail to turn things around against the rest of the current top five, the mood in Durham will likely change.
Michigan State’s upcoming roster is much less intimidating, although No. 11 Tennessee and No. 19 Arkansas loom before the end of the month. With this victory under their belt, the Spartans now have some great momentum this season. If they use him correctly, another deep NCAA tournament run for Izzo will be on the table.
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