Duke walked into the 2026 Champions Classic with all the momentum you could ask for. The Blue Devils were No. 2 in the country, favored in a top-5 matchup, and expected to handle Michigan State. Instead, they spent the night chasing the game.
The Spartans punched first and hard, building a double-digit lead just a few minutes in and forcing Duke into comeback mode for all 40 minutes. The Blue Devils never found the answer, falling 79-73 for their first loss of the season.
There’s no disgrace in losing to Tom Izzo’s team, but this one came with plenty of warning signs for Duke Basketball.
Patrick Ngongba was one of the biggest concerns. The junior big man was reportedly dealing with an illness before the game, and he still started and logged 29 minutes.
The box score shows 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but the production didn’t tell the full story. He struggled to finish around the rim even with a clear size edge against Michigan State’s front line.
The illness earns him some grace, but Duke didn’t get much help from its other forwards either.
Dame Sarr’s night was even rougher. The sophomore wing had opened the season looking like a breakout candidate, scoring in double figures in each of Duke’s first two games.
Against Michigan State, though, he disappeared. He finished with six points, made just one field goal, and had three turnovers.
It was the kind of performance that could have boosted his NBA Draft case, but instead the Spartans took him out of the game and helped set the tone for Duke’s early hole.
The guard play didn’t rescue the Blue Devils, either. John Blackwell had an ordinary night by his standards, finishing with 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting.
That was still better than what Duke got from Caleb Foster and Cayden Boozer, who combined for 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting. With Ngongba limited and Sarr quiet, Duke couldn’t afford that kind of output from its backcourt.
It also didn’t help that the Blue Devils had no answer for Jeremy Fears Jr. on the other end.
Duke can still chase a national title, but this game made one thing clear: the Blue Devils are not invincible.
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