CHICAGO — Jeremy Fears Jr. made the most of playing in front of his hometown crowd at the Champions Classic, leading No. 5 Michigan State to a 79-73 win over No. 2 Duke on Tuesday night.
The Spartans came out fast, opening with an 11-2 run, and never trailed. Duke had entered as a nearly seven-point favorite, but Michigan State held a double-digit lead for parts of the second half and kept the Blue Devils under pressure throughout.
Fears, an early favorite for National Player of the Year, finished with 18 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. He was the standout in a Duke backcourt that struggled, but Michigan State’s depth mattered too. Contributions from across the roster helped the Spartans look like a genuine title contender.
Fears finds his rhythm
There was a clear chance for Fears to answer last season’s rough outing against Duke. In a nonconference game at the Breslin Center, he went 0-for-10 from the field and scored six points, though he did have 13 assists.
This time, he didn’t force his offense early. Fears spent the first half getting teammates involved, recording eight assists while scoring just three points. After halftime, he became more aggressive, attacking and splitting ball screens, drawing multiple defenders and earning trips to the foul line.
He set up Michigan State’s big men for dunks, found open shooters and made life difficult for Duke’s offense. In between, Fears turned toward the green-and-white crowd at the United Center and waved his arms to get the fans louder.
Afterward, Fears credited his teammates and coaches for putting him in a position to succeed. He said he had put in the work and trusted the team’s approach, adding that his teammates were in the right places to help secure the win.
That trust showed in the way he played. Rather than trying to take over every possession, Fears kept finding teammates good looks, and the Spartans had several players ready to respond.
Senior wing Coen Carr was limited to nine points while dealing with foul trouble, but sophomore Cam Ward supplied 14 points off the bench. Freshman Jasiah Jervis added 10, showing he could create his own shot and take some pressure off Fears and Carr. Sophomore forward Jordan Scott had a quieter scoring night, but contributed nine rebounds, six blocks and two steals.
Michigan State also has unusual size inside. Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke and freshman Ethan Taylor are both 7-foot-2. Sophomore forward Jesse McCulloch is just an inch shorter, leaving the Spartans close to having three seven-footers on the roster.
The Spartans were the more physical team, disrupting Duke and holding it to 33 percent shooting overall and 24 percent from three-point range. Scott said Michigan State realized it could play physically and needed to set the tone against a team as talented as Duke, rather than waiting to be hit first.
The win has raised expectations in East Lansing. Tom Izzo’s team has the look of one of his strongest groups in recent years, though Michigan State is still chasing its first Final Four appearance since 2019.
With Fears leading the way and a deeper roster around him, the Spartans will hope their performance at the Champions Classic points to something bigger ahead.
