Michigan State Beats No. 2 Duke 79-73 in Champions Classic as Fears Runs the Game

No. 5 Michigan State beat No. 2 Duke 79-73 in the Champions Classic at the United Center in Chicago on Tuesday, November 10, 2026. The Spartans never trailed. Jeremy Fears Jr. finished with 18 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds and controlled the game from the opening minutes, while Duke dropped to 2-1 and took its first loss of the season.

Fears sets the tone from the opening minutes

Michigan State opened the game 4 for 4 from the field and led 11-2 at the 17:27 mark of the first half. Duke turned the ball over four times in the opening two and a half minutes, and the Spartans turned those mistakes into 10 points. Duke cut the lead to two points with a quick 7-0 run, but Michigan State answered with five straight points and rebuilt the margin. The Spartans led 24-16 late in the first half after turning eight Duke turnovers into 13 points, while Duke scored only two points off six Michigan State turnovers.

Duke shoots its way into a hole

Duke shot 25.9 percent in the first half and trailed 34-25 at halftime. Michigan State shot 46.4 percent in the half. The problems continued after the break. Duke opened the second half 1 for 6 from the field, Michigan State pushed the lead to 45-33, and a 52-39 margin became the largest lead to that point. The Spartans led 64-51 with 8:08 left and held a lead of 14 points midway through the second half. For the game, Duke shot 33.3 percent and Michigan State shot 44.6 percent. John Blackwell led Duke with 17 points on 6 of 16 shooting, and Patrick Ngongba II added 11 points.

Late push falls short

Duke made five straight field goals to pull within single digits and kept cutting into the lead. With 3:15 left, Michigan State led 73-65 and called timeout. Blackwell hit a 3-pointer with 13.7 seconds left to make it 78-73, a five point game, but Duke got no closer. The Blue Devils made only one of their final 11 field goal attempts as Michigan State closed the win with stops and free throws.

A rare win for Izzo in this series

The win moved Michigan State to 7-9 all time in the Champions Classic. It was Tom Izzo's fourth win over Duke in 19 tries and his first win over Duke coach Jon Scheyer. Duke had won the last three meetings in the series, including a 74-65 win in Chicago during the 2023-24 season. Duke was the first ranked opponent on a Michigan State nonconference schedule that also includes Tennessee, Arkansas and Gonzaga, according to the Lansing State Journal.

What follows

Duke returns home to host SIU Edwardsville on Friday, November 13 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils then host Illinois, another top five opponent, on Tuesday, November 17. For Michigan State, the result gives the Spartans a ranked win in the first week of the season without ever playing from behind, a start built on pressure defense, turnovers turned into points, and a point guard who finished with a double-double in points and assists.