3 Keys for Duke Basketball's Success Against Michigan State

The Duke Blue Devils have their first big test of the 2026-27 season.

Duke will face off against Michigan State in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night in Chicago. It's still super early, so we haven't learned all that much about either team, but both are expected to be legitimate Final Four contenders once we get to postseason play.

We could learn a lot about the Blue Devils here. Michigan State came in at No. 6 in the preseason AP Top 25, but it's probably a step below the top tier of teams right now, like Duke, Florida, Illinois, or UConn. If Jon Scheyer's club is clearly the better team wire to wire and wins comfortably, that will say a lot about how far ahead the Blue Devils are.

Before the top-10 contest, here are three keys for Duke's success.

Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr., right, moves the ball as Toledo’s Sean Jones defends during the second half on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Limit Jeremy Fears to One Key Ability

Preseason All-American Jeremy Fears Jr. is not only the best point guard in college basketball entering the season, but he might also be the best player in the entire sport. Just about everything the Spartans will look to do offensively will likely go through Fears, so limiting his scoring or passing will be key for the Blue Devils.

Last season, Fears averaged 15.2 points per game and a nation-leading 9.4 assists a night. Through MSU's first two games against Toledo and Quinnipiac, the 6'2" junior guard has tallied 25 total points and 20 assists to seven turnovers.

When Duke beat Michigan State in East Lansing last season, Fears tallied 13 dimes, but the Blue Devils held him to six points on 0-of-10 shooting from the floor. Granted, this year's Spartans club is a good bit different than last season's team, but Fears is still the best floor general college basketball has to offer.

Win the Free-Throw Line

The free-throw line hurt Duke in a few big games last year. It ranked 175th nationally in team free-throw shooting percentage (72.9), according to KenPom. In 2026-27, the charity stripe looks like it can be a major strength for Scheyer and Co. Duke will probably be an inside-out team this season, and its pure size will give it a major advantage in the paint in practically every game this season. Thus, it can get to the line at a high rate, which it has done in its first two games of the year.

Through two games, Duke has shot 48-of-67 (71.6%) from the foul line. It went 22-of-26 (85%) from the line against Army, and although it shot just 63% against Coastal Carolina, Duke attempted 41 free throws, knocking down 26. The Blue Devils weren't necessarily all that efficient, but the sheer number of attempts it took from the line still made it a big advantage. Duke was +16 in free-throw makes and +24 in free-throw attempts against the Chanticleers.

Michigan State has gotten to the line at a high rate as well through its first two games, but it hasn't knocked them down at a high clip. The Spartans are a combined 38-of-64 (59.4%) from the stripe. Duke has averaged 33.5 free-throw attempts per game through its first two, and Michigan State has averaged 32.

Both squads are getting free throws, but the Spartans have struggled with efficiency early. Duke and Michigan State are both really talented defensive teams, and if this one is close coming down the stretch, the free-throw line will matter.

Take Care of the Basketball

The Blue Devils look far ahead of schedule in most areas of the game and haven't really struggled in most facets. However, Duke has had some trouble taking care of the basketball, which isn't all that surprising given how early in the year it is.

Duke has forced turnovers and scored off those mistakes at a really high rate, but has also coughed it up a decent amount. The Blue Devils have surrendered 28 turnovers through their first two games, whereas Michigan State has coughed it up 26 times. Duke has forced a combined 41 turnovers for 56 points off them. Sparty has notched 40 total points off 28 forced turnovers.

Several of Duke's turnovers have been fairly sloppy and unforced, and Michigan State will capitalize on those mistakes. This is the first real test for both Final Four contenders, and taking care of the ball will have to be a priority for both teams on Tuesday night.

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