Tom Izzo didn’t waste any time setting the tone after Michigan State’s 79-73 win over Duke on Tuesday. He started his postgame news conference by tipping his cap to the Blue Devils, even with the Spartans coming out on top in a matchup that still carries plenty of edge.
“In these preseason games, it’s so hard to play these kind of games this early. I want to first say that I made a lot of comments that I absolutely love Duke’s team.
I still love them,” he said, per 247Sports’ Stephen Brooks. “They missed a lot of shots early that I thought were wide-open shots for them and we didn’t make some plays defensively.”
Izzo then turned the spotlight back on his own team, saying Michigan State put together its strongest performance of the season so far.
“I really believe that we played our best basketball of the year. But we’re three games into the year, so big deal,” he said.
The Spartans’ coach also brought up Michigan State’s football win over Michigan on Saturday, and he made it clear he didn’t see the Duke result in the same light.
“That was very well said, but if you think that this win over Duke is as big as our football team’s win over Michigan, you’re on dial-a-clue,” he said. “So I just appreciate it, but now what I’m going to do is add on to what Pat Fitzgerald did. I’m not going to try to surpass that.”
Izzo also drew a distinction between the two rivalries, calling the Duke series something different from the kind of hostility that defines other matchups.
“There’s just some things about rivalries, and this is a good rivalry. But this is a love affair rivalry.
That’s a Hatfield and McCoy rivalry. So there’s a big difference in rivalries.”
In Other News...
Former Duke Guard Suddenly Wont Be Part Of UConn Showdown
Nik Khamenias first season at UConn has hit an early snag, and it comes just as the Huskies are trying to settle in with a new-look rotation. The freshman guard, who transferred from Duke after appearing in every game last season, suffered a left foot injury against Wagner and is now set for surgery, according to head coach Dan Hurley. Hurley said the expectation is a full recovery, with Khamenia slated to be reevaluated in 6-8 weeks.
For Duke fans, it is another reminder of how quickly the college game can change for a player who was only recently part of the programs future. Khamenia had started three games for UConn this season, giving him a growing role before the injury interrupted his momentum. His absence leaves UConn without a young guard it was beginning to lean on, and it puts a familiar name on the sideline for the foreseeable future. [Read more 🡒]
Manny Diaz Suddenly Feels Like A Real Florida State Threat
Jake Dickerts new extension at Wake Forest has already changed the temperature around Florida States coaching search, and it has pushed Manny Diaz even closer to the center of the conversation. The Duke coach, a Florida State alumnus with head coaching experience and a 46-26 record, has long made sense on paper for a job that values both familiarity and proven production.
Diazs profile only looks stronger now that Florida State has brought in Jeff Purinton as athletic director, giving the search a new layer of familiarity with a coach who just led Duke to the ACC championship in 2025. For Duke, it is the kind of external buzz that comes with success, but it also means the Blue Devils may have to brace for another round of speculation around a coach who has quickly become one of the more attractive names in the market. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Recruiting Just Got More Complicated Than Fans Expected
Dukes 2027 recruiting class is already taking shape, and it has the look of a group that could keep the Blue Devils in the national conversation for years to come. The class includes three commitments so far, headlined by five-star forwards Kager Knueppel and Asa Montgomery, along with Australian point guard Luke Paul, giving the staff an early foundation at both the wing and lead-guard spots.
The challenge now is that the next wave of targets is moving fast, too. Duke has already extended offers to several highly regarded 2028 prospects, including five-star point guard Josiah Rose, who has drawn interest from multiple programs and taken unofficial visits to SMU, while Colton Hiller, Yann Kamagate, Mason Collins and Brady Pettigrew are also on the board, with some of those names potentially moving up to 2027. That leaves Duke juggling present-day momentum with a class cycle that could shift again before the dust settles. [Read more 🡒]