Jeremy Fears Jr. Leads No. 5 Michigan State Past No. 2 Duke In Champions Classic

Jeremy Fears Jr. had 18 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds as No. 5 Michigan State shut down No. 2 Duke for a rugged 79-73 win Tuesday night. Playing coach Tom Izzo’s usual swarming, physical defense, Michigan State held Duke to 33.3% (20 for 60) shooting from the field and forced 13 turnovers. Jordan Scott had six of the Spartans’ eight blocked shots and two of the team’s seven steals. Cam Ward added 14 points as Michigan State (3-0) earned its first win against Duke since a 75-69 victory on Dec. 1, 2020. The Spartans also improved to 7-9 in the Champions Classic, an annual doubleheader that also includes Kansas and Kentucky in various combinations and different cities early in the season. John Blackwell scored 17 points for Duke (2-1), and Patrick Ngongba II finished with 11. The shooting trouble for the Blue Devils extended to the free-throw line, where they went 26 for 37. Duke opened the regular season with a pair of runaway victories against Army and Coastal Carolina, averaging 98.5 points while shooting a combined 55% from the field. But the Blue Devils looked uncomfortable for most of the night at United Center, home of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls. Jesse McCulloch made two free throws and Fears converted a three-point play to help Michigan State open a 50-36 lead with 13:37 remaining. Duke closed to 73-68 on Caleb Foster’s two foul shots with 2:03 to go. But then Scott responded with a driving layup for Michigan State, and Fears made two free throws with 39 seconds left. Fears drove inside to set up Ethan Taylor’s three-point play late in the first half, lifting Michigan State to a 34-25 lead at the break. Fears had eight assists at halftime, and the Blue Devils shot 25.9% (7 for 27) from the field in the early going. Up Next Duke hosts SIU Edwardsville on Friday night. Michigan State hosts Northern Iowa on Friday night. The Associated Press contributed to this report.