Fears Jr. orchestrates a furious comeback. Dunks, deep threes, and defensive sparks ignite the Breslin Center. The Spartans seize control.
Saturday afternoon was meant for basketball and we were in for a good one today. No. 7 ranked Michigan State hosted No. 4 ranked Duke in East Lansing for a top-10 showdown.
The Breslin Center was rocking, but it was Duke who struck first with a three-pointer to open the scoring. Michigan State followed with two possessions and two turnovers before finally settling in. The nation’s best passer — and the nation’s assist leader — Jeremy Fears Jr. delivered a momentum-shifting lob to Carson Cooper, who hammered it home with authority.
Despite the early highlight, transition offense ruled the opening minutes, and Duke added another bucket to take a three-point lead into the first break.
5–2 Duke — 15:55 remaining
Out of the timeout, Rebounding U (aka Michigan State) made its presence known. Cooper grabbed a big offensive board and put it back for his fourth point. But outside of Cooper, it was all bricks early — short shots, timid releases, and a lot of iron.
Duke, meanwhile, embraced the noise and pushed its lead to 10–4. Coen Carr got to the line on the next MSU possession and split the free throws before delivering one of the early plays of the game: a transition slam that looked like he took off from half court and stretched his arm across the entire lane. It should have been the spark MSU needed — but Duke kept answering immediately. A three-ball pushed the lead back to six.
Then the game hit turbo mode.
MSU lobbed one up to Trey Fort, igniting the crowd. Duke missed, MSU scored again, and suddenly it was a one-possession game at 13–11. But once again — as fast as Michigan State punched — Duke punched back from deep.
This one has all the makings of a game-of-the-year contender. If you’re not buckled up already, you might get thrown from the car.
16–11 Duke — 11:31 remaining
Out of the break, MSU missed a three from Jaxon Kohler and misfired on an alley-oop that turned into a turnover. But a strong defensive possession flipped momentum, leading to a Kohler triple to pull within two.
Right on cue, Duke responded with another three.
But now the long-range battle was underway, as Divine Ugochukwu buried his first shot from deep.
19–17 Duke — 7:50 remaining
MSU came out of the timeout and executed perfectly, finding Kohler again for a wide-open triple. The Spartans grabbed their first lead of the game at 20–19. Duke immediately regained the lead with a two, then extended it back to three at the free-throw line.
But when MSU needs a bucket, it’s becoming Jaxon Kohler Time.
He drilled his third three of the half, tying the game 23–23. After starting 0-for-4 from deep, the Spartans hit four of their next five.
Then it was freshman Jordan Scott’s turn to ignite the building — forcing a turnover, making the right pass, grabbing a rebound, and drawing a foul all within ten seconds. Moments later, redshirt freshman Jesse McCulloch knocked down another MSU three to give the Spartans a 26–23 lead.
Now the Breslin had a symphony of chants, and Jeremy Fears Jr. was conducting it all with a huge smile, standing at the free-throw line as the game hit another media timeout.
26–23 Michigan State — 4:30 remaining
During the break, Duke attempted to challenge for a flagrant, but officials ruled the contact accidental. Fears returned to the line to resume play and sank both shots, stretching the lead to five.
Duke answered with a hard-earned layup from the Boozer brothers’ ball movement. Cooper responded with one of two at the line to keep MSU up four.
Both teams started attacking the baseline as fatigue set in, hunting free throws. Duke split a pair but grabbed the offensive board, allowing Cameron Boozer to score his first basket and cut the lead to one.
Both teams exchanged misses — Duke’s seventh straight missed three — before Kohler struck again, draining his fourth three of the half to push the lead back to four.
32–28 Michigan State — 1:33 remaining
Duke opened the next possession by attempting their own version of “Lob City,” but a wild pass bailed out only by a foul call. Moments later, Duke got away with what looked like a clear offensive foul, and the officials continued a run of questionable whistles. The Blue Devils hit a three to pull within one.
MSU missed on the other end, and Duke played for the final shot — but Boozer couldn’t convert. With one second remaining, MSU finally got a makeup call, drawing a blocking foul that put Fears at the line for two. He sank both with confidence.
34–31 Michigan State — End of First Half
After a shaky start, Michigan State steadied itself behind the relentless Breslin crowd and a refusal to fold. The Spartans found their rhythm halfway through the half, sparked by hot shooting from Jaxon Kohler and steady leadership from Jeremy Fears Jr.
Rebounding U is making its mark, and Michigan State heads into halftime with a 34–31 lead over the fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils.