NCAA Basketball: Takeaways from 2020 Champions Classic participants

Dec 1, 2020; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Isaiah Jackson (23) passes the ball over Kansas Jayhawks forward Jalen Wilson (10) and guard Christian Braun (2) in the first half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

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NCAA Basketball Champions Classic Julius Marble Michigan State Spartans (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Michigan State Spartans – Season will be a collective effort

Another lineup decision was made today, with Rocket Watts starting at point in place of Foster Loyer, due to the matchup with the athletic Duke guards. That proved to be another great decision by head coach Tom Izzo, with the sophomore scoring a team-high 20 points on 7/16 shooting. Loyer was solid in his 15 minutes off the bench directing the offense, while also grabbing five key rebounds.

Coming into the game, Watts was the 6th-best scorer in the Spartans’ first two games on the season. No one averaged more than 12.5 ppg, which is Joey Hauser, along with 12.5 ppg. The Marquette transfer is viewed as a potential star and leading player this season. But in this game, he was limited to just six shot attempts and 23 minutes before fouling out at the end. Hauser still had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

He actually was outscored by Julius Marble off the bench, scoring 12 points on 5/5 from the field. He and Malik Hall were massive in this game for Michigan State while dealing with the Blue Devils frontcourt. They were able to win with Gabe Brown going scoreless and Aaron Henry going 7/21 from the field.

In three games, Michigan State has had three different leading scorers. Expect that to be more of the case this season, with a strong nine-man rotation going forward. Defeating Duke on the road with a C- offense is impressive nonetheless and gives optimism that they can compete with the current top-5 ranked teams in the Big Ten.

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