We’re mere hours away from the 2026 version of the Champions Classic and No. 5 Michigan State will face No. 2 Duke in what’s being considered by many a Final Four preview.
The Spartans are 2-0 with a couple of comfortable wins over inferior opponents and the same can be said for 2-0 Duke, but the Blue Devils have won their two by a combined 95 points. This is going to be quite the test for Tom Izzo and the Spartans.
Duke has owned Izzo throughout his career, but he’s looking to change that with one of his deepest teams ever.
Let’s get bold ahead of a huge top-five showdown in Chicago.
Jeremy Fears Jr. leads all scorers
Through two games, Jeremy Fears Jr. has been a modest scorer. He hasn’t been hunting his shot as much as Izzo probably would like and he’s challenged his All-American point guard to do more. We’ll see more on Tuesday night as the preseason national player of the year leads all scorers in a game loaded with elite talent.
Fears is going to get to the line plenty but he’s also going to be left open for a couple of big threes and he’ll even utilize that speed and craftiness to finish at the basket like he’s been doing more of this season.
The junior point guard will finish with 21 points and 11 assists in yet another dazzling performance.
Michigan State out-rebounds Duke by 5+
Duke is one of the top rebounding teams in college basketball through two games, ranking 49th with 45 per game, but Michigan State has been just a tad bit better. The Spartans rank in the top 20 for rebounds at 49 per contest and that slight margin will come into play on Tuesday night thanks to an inspired effort on the glass.
The Michigan State team we saw against Toledo needs to show up on Tuesday and if it does, it’s going to dominate the glass and win all those 50/50 hustle plays.
Anton Bonke, Ethan Taylor, Jordan Scott, Coen Carr, Jesse McCulloch, Kaleb Glenn, and Cam Ward will all dominate the offensive glass and Duke is going to get punched in the mouth more than it expected as the Spartans win the battle of the boards by at least five.
Will it be enough?
Michigan State finds a way
Michigan State enters the Champions Classic matchup with Duke as a 7.5-point underdog. The Spartans aren’t being given much of a chance to win by anyone and it’s probably due to the fact that Izzo’s kryptonite throughout his career has been Duke — he’s beaten Duke just three times in 30-plus years.
No one is expecting Michigan State to win, or to really keep it close, despite being a top-five team playing the Blue Devils on a neutral floor.
Izzo will prove to have a perfect game plan for Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils and the Spartans will throw punch after punch in response to Duke’s jabs. The game will go back and forth for about 35 minutes despite MSU having to make a little comeback early.
Michigan State not only covers the spread, but pulls off the upset and beats Duke for the fourth time under Izzo and first time since 2020 with a final score of 78-76.
This will cap off one of the best four-day stretches of Michigan State athletics in school history.
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