Tom Izzo gets Duke revenge as Michigan State wins in Champions Classic

The final score at the United Center — 74-58 — flattered Duke. Michigan State led by 22 at halftime and never let the Blue Devils breathe, turning a top-five showdown into a statement about where each program stands in November. Jeremy Fears Jr., the preseason All-American point guard, orchestrated the rout with 18 points and 11 assists, picking apart a Duke defense that had no answer for his pace or his patience. But the story that will linger is the one Tom Izzo told before the game: this Duke team, deeper than any he's seen in the Jon Scheyer era and maybe deeper than some of Mike Krzyzewski's, forced the Spartans to prepare for eight to ten interchangeable pieces instead of one focal point. Izzo called it "a harder one to guard." His players made it look simple.

Jordan Scott, a senior forward who had been a rotation piece at best, delivered the night's most Izzo-like performance: 14 points, nine rebounds, and a defensive assignment that neutralized Duke's perimeter creators. Freshman Jasiah Jervis, the Bronx guard Izzo compared to Gary Harris days earlier, added 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting and didn't flinch when the Blue Devils pressed. Anton Bonke, the Charlotte transfer who barely played in the opener, logged 22 minutes and held his own against Duke's twin towers of Patrick Ngongba II and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje. The Spartans outrebounded the nation's most touted frontcourt 41-28.

Duke's numbers told the story of a team still learning to play together. Ngongba led the Blue Devils with 16 points but needed 14 shots to get there. Caleb Foster, the senior guard Izzo singled out, went 2-for-9. Freshman Deron Rippey Jr. turned it over four times in 18 minutes. Cayden Boozer, averaging 7.5 assists entering the night, finished with three assists and four turnovers. The Blue Devils shot 38% from the field, 22% from three, and committed 16 turnovers that Michigan State converted into 22 points. Scheyer emptied his bench searching for a lineup that could stem the bleeding; none did.

The win moves Michigan State to 3-0 and gives Izzo a second top-ten Champions Classic victory — the first since beating Duke in 2020 — while dropping the Blue Devils to 2-1 with a home game against Kansas looming Friday. For Izzo, the night was personal: 6-9 all-time in the event, 1-4 against Duke in it, and now the coach who solved the puzzle Scheyer built. "They'll see," Izzo had said of Jervis before tip-off.