3 Biggest Winners from MSU's Statement Victory Against Duke
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CHICAGO — Michigan State sure looked like a team without a ceiling on Tuesday night.
The fifth-ranked Spartans were underdogs against No. 2 Duke at the United Center during this year's Champions Classic. Duke wound up never leading once, and the only time the game was tied (with points on the board) was 2-2. MSU seemed like the better, more cohesive team nearly the whole way in a 79-73 victory.
A few players had some remarkable individual performances, though. Here are the three big (individual) winners from Michigan State's statement victory:
G Jeremy Fears Jr.
Like most things about MSU basketball these days, it all starts with Jeremy Fears Jr. He flirted with a triple-double against the Blue Devils, finishing with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists. Fears got fouled 12 times in total against Duke, also going 12-for-17 at the free-throw line. He took over during the second half, scoring 15 of his points in the final 20 minutes. The result also has to be a little sweet for Fears, who went 0-for-10 from the field in Michigan State's home loss to Duke last year.
Overall, this is the type of performance the Spartans want and need from their star and National Player of the Year candidate in these sorts of games. Through three games now, Fears is averaging 14.3 points and 10.3 assists per game. That's the good stuff.
G/F Jordan Scott
That may have been the best defensive performance from a Michigan State player in some time. Jordan Scott channeled his inner Dikembe Mutombo on Tuesday, blocking a patently absurd six shots. Five of those came in the first half. Scott didn't even play well on the offensive end (5 points, 2-of-7 shooting), but his defense was a sight to behold, and it's probably gotten him on more NBA radars. He also added nine rebounds, just for good measure.
"He just impacts winning; he just really impacts winning," Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said after the game about Scott. "You gotta give him a lot of credit. His size on the perimeter, that's usually what we have. His size, I think, bothered us. Six blocks, I think that tells the story. But yeah, big fan of him, and he did a great job."
F Cam Ward
Cam Ward's stock probably increased the most during this game, though. Fears and Scott are sort of known commodities at this point, though that doesn't make their big days against a team of Duke's caliber any less impressive. Ward has been struggling, though. He entered Tuesday with nine points and six rebounds total on the season between the Quinnipiac and Toledo games, and his struggles spanned back to the exhibition games.
Ward had 14 points and six rebounds against Duke -- go figure. It was the version of Ward the Spartans have wanted again since he scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Arkansas in the second game of last season. Maybe Ward just has a penchant for these premier November matchups, but his game against Duke was highly encouraging.
"It meant a lot, you know what I'm saying, especially just because I haven't been playing well," Ward said postgame. "So, just to finally find some type of rhythm feels good."
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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