Duke’s first real measuring stick of the season comes Tuesday night in Chicago, where the Blue Devils will line up against No. 6 Michigan State in the Champions Classic.
Jon Scheyer’s team has breezed through its preseason tune-ups and early regular-season work, looking every bit like one of the best teams in college basketball. Michigan State, though, is the kind of opponent that can quickly expose what still needs cleaning up. The Spartans are a legitimate Final Four contender, even if they may sit a notch below Duke, Florida, Illinois, or UConn right now.
Before Scheyer and Tom Izzo square off, three Michigan State names stand out.
Jeremy Fears Jr. is the headliner, and for good reason. The point guard is widely viewed as the best passer in college basketball and maybe the best player in the sport. He’s coming off an AP Second Team All-America season in which he averaged 15.2 points and a nation-best 9.4 assists per game.
Michigan State’s offense still runs through him, even with a roster that looks different from last season. What makes the Spartans so unusual among top-10 teams is how heavily they lean on one player to drive everything. Fears can beat you as a creator or as a scorer, and when both parts of his game are clicking, Michigan State becomes a tough out.
Duke already found a way to blunt him once. Last season in East Lansing, the Blue Devils won 66-60 after holding the 6-foot-2 junior to six points on 0-of-10 shooting from the floor, even though he still handed out 13 assists. That kind of result is why Duke’s guard depth could matter so much again.
Jordan Scott is another name to keep close tabs on. The 6-foot-8 wing looks like a future NBA player, and he should be showing up on more 2027 draft boards. As a freshman last season, the Virginia native put up 5.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 41.1% from the field and 37% from three on 2.9 attempts per game.
He’s opened his sophomore year with a bigger role and better numbers. Through Michigan State’s first two games, Scott is averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 45.5% from the field and taking 11.0 shots per game.
His three-point touch has been off to start - 27.3% on more than five attempts a night - but the shooting upside is still there. Dame Sarr looks like the likeliest defender to spend time on him, and plenty of what Michigan State wants to do offensively will flow through Scott.
Then there’s Jasiah Jervis, a freshman who has already forced his way into the starting lineup. Izzo doesn’t usually hand that kind of role to rookies right away, but the 4-star guard has started both games and hasn’t played timidly. The 6-foot-4 Jervis has taken 15 shots in his first two college games, including a 16-point performance against Toledo when he went 5-of-9 from the floor.
That backcourt depth is where Duke may have the edge. Fears and Jervis give Michigan State a strong starting duo, but the picture gets less clear after that. Freshman Carlos Medlock Jr. has flashed some ability early, and Kur Teng brings shooting potential, but the Spartans don’t have the kind of four-man guard collection Scheyer can roll out.
Coen Carr is the other big problem waiting for Duke. If he had a reliable jumper, he’d already be in the NBA.
Even without that, he’s one of the most explosive athletes in college basketball. Michigan State’s defense is usually elite under Izzo, and this matchup could give Duke an early test in transition defense.
The Spartans have forced 28 turnovers in their first two games, though that came against Quinnipiac and Toledo. Still, Carr is a nightmare when he gets loose in the open floor. Duke’s only real issue so far has been turnovers, and giving Michigan State extra chances to run - especially with Carr leading the break - could create trouble fast.
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