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Duke Basketball: 3 keys to beat Michigan State in 2020 Champions Classic

By Matthew Travis

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: General view of Cameron Indoor Stadium before the game between the Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: General view of Cameron Indoor Stadium before the game between the Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Duke Basketball Mike Krzyzewski (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Duke Basketball Mike Krzyzewski (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

2. Be More Active in the Passing Lanes

Key two kind of goes off of key number one, but Duke needs to be more active in the passing lanes on the defensive side of the ball. Duke recorded only six steals while forcing only eight turnovers against Coppin State on Saturday.

Michigan State in their two games combined has 53 total assists with 30 total turnovers, which clearly means the Spartans like to move the ball around. If Duke can only force eight turnovers against MSU, they are going to lose this game, it’s really as simple as that.

For this reason, I would expect to see Jordan Goldwire, who is known for his defensive ability, get some more playing time than maybe some think he should. Duke MUST get in the passing lanes, record some steals and force Michigan State to make mistakes.

Michigan State has had a total of six players record double-digit points over their two games, which clearly means they have a plethora of scorers, and because of it they will continue to move the ball around until they find a good shot.

This being said Duke MUST step it up on the defensive end and grab some steals. The Blue Devils did a great job on the defensive glass Saturday grabbing 36 defensive rebounds while Coppin State grabbed only 12 offensive rebounds, which is a good sign, but if Duke can force turnovers before Michigan State can even get a shot off, that would be even better.

If Duke wants to start their season with a 2-0 record and beat Michigan State for the fourth time in five years, they’re going to have to be active in the passing lanes on defense, record steals, and force turnovers. If they can do this, the path to victory on Tuesday will be that much easier.

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