Heads-Up Pass Stands Out in Big-Time Duke Basketball Performance

Duke basketball came up with plenty of smart plays late to deflate Michigan State.

Duke's Cameron Boozer, center, celebrates after teammate Caleb Foster's 3-pointer against Michigan State during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

First-half highlights were few and far between for the Duke basketball squad in its eventual 66-60 true road win over the No. 7-ranked Michigan State Spartans (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten). But the No. 4 Blue Devils (10-0, 0-0 ACC) made up for it after the break, as Jon Scheyer drew up one gem after another and watched his well-composed players respond with clutch execution time and again.

RELATED: One Key Weapon Versus Spartans Did Not Practice Beforehand

So, it makes sense that four of the five Duke basketball plays the Blue Devils' official social media account featured in the following post are from the final 13 minutes of the back-and-forth battle in the second half:

best of the best from MSU pic.twitter.com/Ign3p3oNqB

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) December 6, 2025

5. Cameron Boozer swipes a steal and finds twin teammate Cayden Boozer in transition late in the first half to keep the Blue Devils within striking range

4. Timely three courtesy of Cameron Boozer from the top of the key ties the score and sets the stage for more crowd-hushing buckets

3. Team defense leads to Caleb Foster's fastbreak layup to tie the score again with six minutes and change left on the clock

Michigan State's Coen Carr, center, battles Duke's Patrick Ngongba, left, and Caleb Foster for a rebound during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

2. Isaiah Evans' 3-point splash from the wing (on his 20th birthday) gives Duke the lead, 55-53, with under four minutes to go

1. Double-teamed Cameron Boozer delivers pass to Caleb Foster for the crowd-silencing three to secure the victory

Cam Boozer in the 2H today

16 points
8 boards
6-9 FG
1-1 3pt pic.twitter.com/PJtE4lB6tV

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) December 7, 2025

Jon Scheyer's Thoughts on Cameron Boozer's Wise Dime and Iced Duke Basketball Veins

• "I thought Cam just willed some drives, made some good wall-ups," Scheyer noted afterward about Boozer, who tallied a team-high 18 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists despite scoring only two points in the first half.

• "He scored over the top. And then, I thought the play he made, the pass to Caleb, a lot of guys get that stolen from him...Just how strong he is with the ball, that's a big-time heads-up play."

Dec 6, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer protests a call during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images | Dale Young-Imagn Images

As Scheyer added a few minutes later during his postgame press conference, the Blue Devils continue "figuring out a way to win" against top-shelf competition.

The Blue Devils have now won four straight games vs. Top-25 opponents this season -- most in a regular-season since the 1991-92 season (5).

-No. 24 Kansas
-No. 22 Arkansas
-No. 15 Florida
-No. 7 Michigan State

— #DukeMBBStats (@DukeMBBStats) December 6, 2025

Their past three outings were against ranked opponents. Now, though, Duke basketball has a bit of a breather, getting over a week off for exams before hosting the unranked Lipscomb Bisons (5-4, 0-0 ASUN) in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Dec. 16, at 6 p.m. ET (ACC Network).

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.

As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE and following us on X (formerly Twitter) HERE.