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CHICAGO — The most thunderous cheer from the United Center crowd on Tuesday night erupted on a possession that didn't even yield a shot attempt. Michigan State's green-clad defenders swarmed the floor, limbs flailing, disrupting every Duke action in the waning seconds of the first half.
Although many of the Blue Devils' players may eventually reach the NBA, in that moment they appeared utterly disoriented, devoid of any sense of purpose. The ball eventually found its way to Duke center Patrick Ngongba II, who reluctantly launched a desperate heave that missed the rim entirely, resulting in a shot-clock violation.
The Spartans' faithful erupted; Duke looked stunned. It was a sequence that embodied a classic Michigan State performance, draining the life from the Blue Devils in a 79-73 statement victory in which the Spartans never trailed.
From an efficiency standpoint, it marked Duke's worst offensive outing in 22 months, dating back to a gritty win at Wake Forest in January 2025. Duke coach Jon Scheyer acknowledged that his team wasn't connected enough offensively, an environment Michigan State cultivated from the opening tip.
Each forced turnover, blocked shot, and deflection gradually demoralized the Blue Devils. "You can see heads dropping, a lot of bad body language," Michigan State freshman Carlos Medlock Jr. said. "It lights us up."
Fears stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, 17 free throw attempts, 11 assists, seven rebounds, and complete command of the game's tempo from start to finish. But the real story of the night was the emergence of everyone around him, particularly as catalysts for the Spartans' electric defensive effort.
Leading that charge was sophomore Jordan Scott, whom Michigan State's Tom Izzo has spent much of the summer and fall praising, and who delivered a breakthrough performance on Tuesday. "That was about as good a game as you could have for a guy that went 2-for-7," Izzo said. "He probably changed the whole game himself with his defense, his rebounding, and his effort."
Scott recorded six blocked shots, many of them emphatic rejections that shaped the game's tenor. His sixth, a soaring swat of a Dame Sarr three-pointer in the final minute, was the exclamation point and essentially sealed the victory. He also added two steals and several other deflections, playing a huge role in holding Duke's two starting wings to a combined 7-of-21 shooting from the floor.
His ferocious defense, combined with Michigan State's point guard play? Watch out. "He made the freshman-to-sophomore jump for sure," Cam Ward added.
Scott has basketball in his blood: his mother, Christy Winters-Scott, starred at Maryland from 1987-90, and his father, Jerome Scott, was a 1,000-point scorer at Miami. He blossomed into a useful rotation piece for the Spartans in the latter half of his freshman season a year ago and was a starter by NCAA tournament time, but Izzo clearly envisioned more.
His veteran head coach said last week that he'd have to go back a way, way, way, way, way long time ago to find a player who competes harder consistently. The difference this year, Scott says, is that his identity as a player has grown. He says he has solidified who he wants to be on the floor, and watching him hound John Blackwell and Sarr, it was obvious what that identity is.
He is Michigan State's stopper, and the Spartans are a whole lot more dangerous because of it.
Fears also raved about the impact of two freshmen guards: Jasiah Jervis and Carlos Medlock, who each made major contributions. Jervis was fearless early and knocked down a key stepback three with just over five minutes remaining to stem a Duke rally, while Medlock hit a couple of big shots off the dribble to keep the offense flowing in the second half.
Shot-making talent has been in short supply in recent years at Michigan State; those two have the potential to change that. That's why Fears was so bullish on finding a way to get the two to commit to Michigan State.
Key Analysis
Much of college basketball in November is about identity — and many teams believe they have it before taking their first haymaker. Duke's October and November had largely been smooth sailing, blitzing Belmont and Tennessee in early exhibitions, stretching a lead at Kansas in their final tune-up, and winning by 34 and 61 points in their first two regular-season games.
But the bar for toughness in a game like this one and against a program like Michigan State is in a different stratosphere. The Blue Devils are likely to be far from the final team to experience the suffocating feeling that playing against Michigan State will have this year.
And as the likes of Scott and Jervis continue to come into their own, don't be surprised if the Spartans are playing in Detroit come early April.
Originally reported by headtopics.