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Michigan State Basketball: 3 takeaways from win over No. 6 Duke

By Connor Muldowney

Nov 28, 2020; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Malik Hall (25) holds the ball during the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2020; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Malik Hall (25) holds the ball during the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan State basketball hit the road for the Champions Classic this year, facing Duke at Cameron Indoor. What’d we learn from this battle?

This year’s Champions Classic matchup against Duke had a different feel and not because Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman were missing but rather because this one took place at Cameron Indoor. Michigan State, for the second time in three years, took down Duke, 75-69.

Things weren’t looking good early on for the Spartans as they fell behind 13-3 in the first few minutes and then the momentum shifted back in their favor. They went on a nice run before half to take a 37-33 lead heading into the locker room.

Michigan State beat the Blue Devils to improve to 3-0 on the season and they’re rising quickly. The Spartans are playing some really good basketball right now and there’s still a ton of work to do.

What did we learn from this year’s Champions Classic battle against Duke?

3. Julius Marble was a breath of fresh air

What can we say about Julius Marble’s performance other than wow? The sophomore big man was a revelation on Tuesday night, putting up a career-high 12 points.

Michigan State needed some production in the post with Joey Hauser in foul trouble and Marcus Bingham Jr. not playing his best game and it came from Marble. He was a breath of fresh air off the bench and injected some life into a dead team early on which led to a nice run before half.

Marble added a nice dunk in the second half over Matthew Hurt and was playing out of his mind. He looked like a different player off the bench and if he can bring that type of life every game, the Spartans will be one of the deepest teams in the country.

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