Despite being ranked in the top-5 coming into the Champions Classic, Michigan State Basketball was a clear underdog against No. 2 Duke. The good news is that the game is played on the floor, not on paper. Coach Tom Izzo and the Spartans couldn’t ask for a better start to the game, getting an early double-digit lead before the media timeout.
It’s rare to see Duke never lead at any point in a game but that’s exactly what happened to them, as Michigan State went on to win 79-73. It was the most dominant performance we’ve seen from a team yet. Here’s a look at the key takeaways from the Spartans victory.
1. Jeremy Fears Jr. is a clear National POY contender
There’s no question as to who the MVP of the game is, with Fears leading the team with 18 points (12 via FT line), along with seven rebounds and 11 assists. Even when his own offense was slow to start, Fears had eight first half assists to help get Michigan State what proved to be an insurmountable lead. He’s shown he’s the best point guard in the country and with more performances like this, could be the best player in all of college basketball.
2. Incredible frontcourt defense
The big concern for Michigan State Basketball coming into the game was how would they handle the bigs for Duke? In the end, the answer would be just fine, as they limited the likes of Patrick Ngongba, Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and Drew Scharnowski to sub-par games by their standards. Evan Anton Bonke, who struggled in the preseason, had an effective 13 minutes on the floor. Few teams can match the physicality and aggressiveness that the Spartans have and Duke and its frontcourt found that out the hard way.
3. Cam Ward’s x-factor performance
In my preview for the game, I asked who would be the Spartan that could score in double figures to help out Fears in the scoring. The answer proved to be Ward, producing 14 points and six rebounds off the bench in 20 minutes. Since they won by six points in the end, they needed all 14 from the versatile forward.
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