4 Spartans To Know Before Duke Basketball Meets Michigan State

Here are a few Michigan State players to know before the Blue Devils face Sparty in the Champions Classic.

Oct 25, 2026; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts to a play during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Duke Blue Devils completed two tune-up games before their first premier test of the year.

Duke will meet No. 6 Michigan State in Chicago on Tuesday night in the Champions Classic. The Blue Devils have looked like the best team in college basketball through preseason competition and the early part of the regular season. This will be a good test to see whether Jon Scheyer's club is really that far ahead of the pack.

Michigan State is a true Final Four contender, but it's probably a step below clubs like Duke, Florida, Illinois, or UConn right now. Before Scheyer and Tom Izzo face off, here are a few Michigan State players to know.

Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. scores against Toledo during the second half on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Jeremy Fears Jr.

Obviously, we start with point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., the best passer in college basketball and arguably the best player in the entire sport. Fears is coming off an AP Second Team All-America campaign in which he averaged 15.2 points and a nation-leading 9.4 assists per game last season.

This year's MSU team is pretty different from last season, but everything it does still revolves around Fears. The interesting thing about Michigan State is that there probably isn't another top-10 team that revolves around one player as much as the Spartans do with Fears. He's an outstanding passer and a high-level scorer. When he has both going, it's hard to beat Sparty.

However, taking one of those areas away was how the Blue Devils beat Michigan State in East Lansing last season. Duke won 66-60; in that game, Fears dished out 13 assists, but Duke held the 6'2" junior to six points on 0-of-10 shooting from the floor. This could be a game where Duke's elite guard depth plays a huge role.

Jordan Scott

Jordan Scott is a future NBA player, and I think he should be on more 2027 NBA Draft boards right now. As a 6'8" wing, Scott has a ton of long-term scoring upside. As a rookie in East Lansing last season, the Virginia native averaged 5.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game on 41.1% shooting from the floor and 37% from three-point range on 2.9 attempts. He's gotten off to a hot start as a sophomore.

In Michigan State's first two games, Scott is averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.5 steals a night on 45.5% shooting from the field. He's also averaging 11.0 shot attempts per game to start the year. Scott is only shooting 27.3% from three on over five attempts per game, but he's got a ton more shooting potential than that. Dame Sarr seems like the likely primary assignment on Scott, and a lot of what MSU wants to do in the scoring department will probably include the sophomore.

Nov 5, 2026; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Jasiah Jervis (25) drives past Toledo Rockets forward Chris Riddle (10) during the second half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jasiah Jervis

Rookies don't usually start right away for Izzo, but 4-star freshman Jasiah Jervis has started both games for the Spartans to kick off the year. The 6'4" freshman guard doesn't lack confidence, as he's taken 15 shots in his first two collegiate games, including a 16-point outing against Toledo on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor.

Again, this is where the Blue Devils' guard depth could really prove to be a big advantage. Fears and Jervis are a pretty high-caliber guard duo, but it gets a little murky in the backcourt for MSU after them. Freshman Carlos Medlock Jr. has shown a bit of flash early, and Kur Teng has pretty high shooting upside. However, no team has four uber-talented guards in the room like Scheyer and Co. do.

Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr., right, celebrates with Coen Carr after Carr scored and drew a Toledo foul during the first half on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Coen Carr

If Coen Carr has a consistent jump shot, he'd without a doubt be in the NBA right now. Regardless, the forward is one of the best pure athletes college basketball has seen in quite some time. The Spartans are almost always elite defensively under Izzo, and this could be a great early test for the Blue Devils' transition defense.

Michigan State has forced 28 turnovers in its first two games, granted against Quinnipiac and Toledo, but Carr in the open floor is one of the hardest guards a team can get. This is a battle between two top defensive teams in college basketball, but turnovers have been Duke's only issue so far this year. Letting MSU get out in transition, especially Carr, could spell trouble.