Contrary to their usual form, neither coach doused the energy and expectations for Saturday’s fight between college hoops heavyweights in a hype-worthy pairing of undefeated Duke and Michigan State in East Lansing.
Now that No. 4 Duke has been pushed to the end of a game, the Blue Devils might be in line for their most difficult assignment to date — No. 7 Michigan State in the “Izzone.”
“I think there are things for us that we are still figuring out with our group, but end of the day, they are competitors and you got to find a way to make key stops in those moments,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “The offense, we’ll figure out. It will come.”
Duke (9-0) has a flawless record despite being tested by supreme competition in the first month of the season. The Blue Devils survived for a 67-66 home victory against No. 15 Florida on Tuesday night.
Michigan State (8-0) followed its Thanksgiving conquering of then-unbeaten North Carolina by handing Iowa its first loss with Tuesday night’s 71-52 romp in the Big Ten Conference opener. So the Spartans will try to pin a first loss on their third straight opponent when Duke shows up.
“What has impressed me the most is the connectivity, the camaraderie,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said of his team. “It’s not phony.”
Freshman Cameron Boozer has scored at least 20 points in five Duke games.
Michigan State will look to senior forward Jaxon Kohler to provide some resistance in the lane. He has four double-doubles this season.
“Our depth is really coming along. Rebounding is really coming along,” Izzo said. “… I think we need a little more consistency on the shooting on the perimeter.”
Seven of Duke’s opponents have shot under 40% from the field.
Michigan State has no questions about the usual position on the floor Izzo wants to be filled by a reliable playmaker. Jeremy Fears Jr. has led the Spartans in assists in eight games this season.
“I think Jeremy is really coming into his own,” Izzo said. “That’s what good leaders really do. Good teams need a great leader.”
Duke prepares for its fourth ranked opponent of the season and has come up with answers in a variety of showdowns.
“To be able to win a game where you do not score as much, both ways, it was a ‘grind it out’ type of game,” Scheyer said of the Florida matchup, Duke’s second win over a ranked SEC team in a row after taking out Arkansas on Thanksgiving night. “Hopefully, we can score better in some other games, but you’ve got to win that way sometimes.”
Having a game go down to the final possession has given the Blue Devils another type of experience.
“I think we showed a lot of toughness,” Boozer said.
Michigan State, which also defeated Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina, prepares to play a fourth ranked opponent.
The Spartans put their toughness on display with a 37-18 rebounding advantage on Iowa. The Spartans also sank 22 of 25 free throws.
“Hopefully, things keep getting better,” Izzo said. “It’s a big week.”
Under Izzo, the Spartans are 116-16 in December games at the Breslin Center. Following Saturday’s game, Michigan State is off until taking the court Dec. 13 at Penn State.
“It’s next-game mentality, so we’ve got to get ready for Duke,” Michigan State forward Coen Carr said. “It’s a great team. I feel like we’re going to have a good game plan. We’re going to be good.”
