No. 5 Michigan State is heading out for its first road test of the season, and the assignment couldn’t be much bigger.
The Spartans meet No. 2 Duke on Tuesday, Nov. 10 in the Champions Classic at the United Center in Chicago.
The game will air live on ESPN, with Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Kris Budden on the call. Fans can also follow along on the Spartan Media Network, where Will Tieman will handle play-by-play, Kevin Pauga will serve as color analyst and Zach Surdenik will be the studio host. The broadcast is available statewide and online at MSUSpartans.com, and it can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 81 or through the SiriusXM app.
Michigan State comes in at 2-0 after opening with a pair of home wins. The Spartans rolled past Quinnipiac, 96-59, and then beat Toledo, 91-61, last Thursday.
Jeremy Fears Jr. has been the early engine for MSU. In the opener, the redshirt junior guard - the Blue Ribbon Basketball Preseason National Player of the Year and the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year - posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists. Senior center Anton Bonke added 11 points and 13 rebounds in that game, while freshman guard Jasiah Jervis led the way against Quinnipiac with 16 points and five rebounds.
Through two games, Fears is one of five Spartans scoring in double figures and one of nine averaging at least 6.0 points per game. He leads the team with 12.5 points per game and 10.0 assists per game. Sophomore forward Jordan Scott is next on the scoring chart at 11.5 points per game, and he’s also contributing 7.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 2 blocks.
Before the regular season began, Michigan State played three exhibition games against Division I opponents. The Spartans beat Incarnate Word, 89-59, at home, then lost to No. 4 UConn, 78-70, and at Marquette, 86-79.
Last season, Michigan State finished 27-8 overall and 15-5 in the Big Ten to tie for second place. The Spartans earned their 28th straight NCAA Tournament bid, reached the Sweet Sixteen for the second straight year and the 17th time under Tom Izzo, and ended the year ranked No. 11 in the Associated Press Top 25.
Izzo is now in his 32nd season leading the program, which he has been part of for more than 40 years, including his time as an assistant coach.
This year’s roster has some rebuilding to do after losing six letterwinners, including two starting post players. Center Carson Cooper left after averaging 11.1 points and 7.1 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game, while forward Jaxon Kohler departed after putting up 12.5 points and 8.9 rebounds and leading the team with 58 made 3-pointers. Carr, who started all 35 games last season, was third on the team in scoring at 12.0 points per game, third in rebounding at 5.4 and second in minutes at 29.2.
Fears’ rise has been one of the biggest early storylines for the Spartans. He was named Blue Ribbon College Basketball’s Preseason National Player of the Year in September and earned the Big Ten’s Preseason Player of the Year honor on Oct.
- Last season, the All-Big Ten First Team selection led Michigan State in scoring at 15.2 points per game, ranked No. 17 in the Big Ten, and paced the conference - and the nation - with 9.4 assists per game.
Michigan State’s history in the Champions Classic has been mixed. The Spartans are 6-9 all-time in the event, though they did beat then-No.
12 Kentucky, 83-66, in last year’s game in New York City. In that win, Kur Teng scored 15 points and Fears finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 13 assists.
Tuesday’s matchup will be the 21st all-time meeting between Michigan State and Duke. The Blue Devils own the series, 16-4, and have won the last three.
Duke beat MSU, 66-60, at the Breslin Center on Dec. 6, 2025 in the teams’ most recent meeting. Izzo is 3-15 against Duke in his career, and this will be the fifth time the schools have met in the Champions Classic, with Duke holding a 4-1 edge.
Duke arrives at 2-0 after beating Army West Point, 84-50, on Nov. 2 and Coastal Carolina, 113-52, on Thursday night. The Blue Devils are the preseason pick to win the Atlantic Coast Conference and are ranked No. 2 in both the Associated Press and ESPN Coaches polls.
Duke returns three starters from last season’s 35-3 team that reached the Elite Eight: junior center Patrick Ngongba II, senior guard Caleb Foster and sophomore forward Dame Sarr. Sophomore guard Cayden Boozer, who started 11 games as a freshman, has started both games this season and is averaging 10.0 points per game while leading the team with 7.5 assists per game.
Freshman center Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, the son of former Georgetown standout Ruben Boumtje Boumtje under Hall of Fame coach John Thompson Jr., is averaging 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds and has blocked six shots in two games. Duke also added fifth-year transfer guard John Blackwell, who averaged 14.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists and scored more than 1,500 points in four seasons at Wisconsin.
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