Saturday's Top 10 showdown at Breslin Center was a 15-round, prize fight. 

 Duke (10-0) withstood the punches from Michigan State (8-1) — and some self-inflicted blows — to earn its signature win of the young season, 66-60.

Freshman star Cameron Boozer entered halftime with just two points. He picked up his third foul early in the second half, played much of the final 10 minutes with four and fouled out with 10 seconds remaining.

Despite this, Boozer still managed to turn in `18 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. On his final offensive possession — much like on decisive plays in Duke's prior two wins against Arkansas and Florida — Boozer forced Michigan State's defense to collapse on his drive, but then dished it out to Caleb Foster for a dagger triple.

It looked like the Blue Devils' woes at the free throw line might cost them their first loss of the season.

With seven minutes remaining in the game, Duke was shooting just 50 percent — 7 of 14 — from the stripe. However, from that point on, it locked in with makes on seven of its last eight attempts when it mattered most. 

The achilles heel for last year's star-studded, Final Four team was playing in tight margins. Those Devils were 1-4 in games decided by six points or fewer. This week, Duke is 2-0 in such situations.

However, that doesn't mean Boozer's slow starts and the free-throw shooting should be overlooked.

In Boozer's collegiate debut, he was held scoreless by the Texas Longhorns. During the Thanksgiving Day matchup with Arkansas, he didn't crack the scoreboard until the 10:06 mark of the first half. 

It's hard not to imagine how prolific the future lottery pick could be if he could play a complete game without noticeable, long lulls in scoring.

The most alarming trend has been foul shooting. Even though Duke finished strong today, it still shot 65 percent. Entering Saturday, the Blue Devils' 71.6 percentage ranked 183rd nationally.

After a full week off, Duke will return to action on Dec. 16 with a home date against Lipscomb.