Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from loss to Duke in Week 2

Michigan State dropped a tough one in Tuesday night’s Champions Classic to No. 1 Duke. Here’s what we learned from the 88-81 defeat.

It was a tough game for Michigan State on Tuesday night, losing the annual Champions Classic against the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils in Chicago. The game was back-and-forth all night long, but the Blue Devils hit some big shots down the stretch to put the game on ice.

Grayson Allen torched the Spartans for 37 points and continued to give Tom Izzo nightmares. Miles Bridges was quiet for most of the game, but finished with 19 points and the Spartans lost, 88-81. Still, this team stuck with the No. 1 squad in the land, and made it interesting.

Here’s what we learned from the Spartans’ tough loss to Duke on Tuesday night.

5. Spartans could average 10 blocks per game

This team is as long as any Tom Izzo-coached team in recent memory. Just a year ago, the Spartans were considered the smallest team of the Izzo era thanks to some key injuries before the season as well as the departure of Deyonta Davis to the NBA.

This year? Complete opposite. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Nick Ward are your starting big men with Miles Bridges at the wing and Josh Langford and Cassius Winston at the guard spots. Oh yeah, and there’s Ben Carter, Gavin Schilling and Xavier Tillman coming off the bench.

If there is any team in college basketball that could average 10-plus blocks a game this season, it’s this Spartan squad. Through two games, Michigan State has 22 total blocks. That’s good enough for 11 per game with the schedule getting easier before it gets tougher with the Phil Knight Invitational.

There’s a good chance we could see the Spartans pile up another 10-plus blocks against Stony Brook on Sunday evening before facing DePaul and doing the same to start the tournament.

Don’t be shocked if this team finishes with 10 blocks per game on the year, shattering school records.