The stretch of Michigan State athletics dominance has continued into this week as the No. 5 Spartans handled No. 2 Duke, 79-73, in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night.
The Spartans led for the entire 40 minutes to improve to 3-0, silencing all the doubters who didn’t believe that they had a chance to “upset” the No. 2 team in the nation. In true Tom Izzo fashion, the Spartans surprised everyone and looked like the nation’s second-best team — if not the best team in the country.
So much for the “Michigan State doesn’t belong in the Champions Classic” narrative. The Spartans not only created the event but they continue to win in it.
Let’s dive into some instant reactions from Michigan State’s win over Duke.
When Jeremy Fears is on, MSU is a top-2 team
It’s hard to picture this Michigan State team without Jeremy Fears, but fortunately the Spartans don’t have to. He’s one of the best players in America and he proved that against the Blue Devils with a true All-American, national player of the year-type performance.
While it would be nice to see Fears look for his own shots more, he was able to thrive at the free throw line again as his high basketball IQ forced several fouls and earned some freebies at the stripe.
Fears has arguably the highest IQ in college basketball, he’s an elite athlete, he’s the nation’s best passer, and he’s Michigan State’s best leader since Mateen Cleaves. There’s a reason Izzo feels comfortable with the Illinois native running his team.
He had 18 points, 11 rebounds, a block, and a steal.
When he’s playing well, this entire team is so much better and — dare I say it — a top-two team in college basketball. That’s right, MSU handled the No. 2 team so it’s only fair that roles reverse.
Everyone around him is so much better when he’s playing his ‘A’ game.
The Spartans’ defense is special
I lost count of how many times Michigan State had Duke scrambling and frazzled after forcing turnovers, jumping passing lanes, and blocking shots. Michigan State was clearly the tougher team and it started on the defensive end. The Spartans set the tone early and never let up, controlling the game for a complete 40 minutes.
This was one of the best defensive efforts in years and Duke was really only able to get anything going on the perimeter and really couldn’t get anything going onside the 3-point line.
Active hands, a true leader vocally and by example, and a group of guys willing to put their bodies on the line to get a stop — this Michigan State defense has it all.
Michigan State had eight blocks and seven steals while holding Duke to just 33 percent shooting and 24 percent from deep.
This is a special group.
This is MSU’s deepest team since COVID
Izzo has one of its deepest teams in the past 20 years and that’s really not an exaggeration.
From Jesse McCulloch, to Cam Ward, to Carlos Medlock Jr., the bench had an endless amount of production. It didn’t skip a beat when the starters were off the floor and Michigan State’s bench finished with 35 points compared to the “deepest team in the country” Duke’s 23.
It’s not often that a Michigan State team is 11 deep and not in need of cutting down the rotation. Usually Izzo talks about trimming it down, but it’s honestly not necessary because every single guy has a role. The Spartans all contribute and do well in their specific roles.
This depth is going to wear a lot of teams down.
Bonus: Jordan Scott is unbelievable
If you just looked at the box score, you would be led to believe that Jordan Scott had an “off game” but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He had Duke’s offense scrambling all game and they couldn’t get consistent good looks because his length and energy really bothered them.
Scott finished with an incredible career-high six blocks with two steals, nine rebounds, and five points. He just does all the little things right and it’s why he’s this team’s X-factor.
NBA scouts had to be drooling over the way he played against the No. 2 team in the country.
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