No. 5 Michigan State vs. No. 2 Duke Basketball: Three Prop Bet Locks

Last Game: 2-1

Overall Record: 2-4

We earned our first winning record of the season after going 0-3 in the Spartans' season opener against Quinnipiac. I was just one assist away from going a perfect 3-0 in game two against Toledo.

I told you to take the Spartans' team total over 90.5 points (they scored 91), Jasiah Jervis over 1.5 three-pointers made (he had four) and Jeremy Fears Jr. over 9.5 assists (he finished with nine).

That puts us at 2-1 for the Toledo game and back in the green. Let's keep it going against Duke.

We are mere hours away from the Champions Classic matchup between Michigan State and Duke. Two undefeated 2-0 teams will look to keep their perfect seasons alive in an early-season battle between two programs with national championship aspirations.

The Spartans and Blue Devils have faced off 18 times with Tom Izzo on the sideline for Michigan State. Unfortunately, the Green and White have won only three of those matchups. Duke is 2-0 against Michigan State under head coach Jon Scheyer and will look to keep that winning streak alive.

Currently, Duke ranks No. 1 in the KenPom rankings, while the Spartans sit at No. 6. Duke also holds the No. 2 spot in the AP Poll, with Michigan State right behind at No. 5.

These are two powerhouse programs that met last season in East Lansing, where the Blue Devils came away with a 66-60 victory. However, the starting lineups for both teams look much different this year, making this an entirely different matchup from last season.

I've broken down the new players, looks, schemes, strategies and everything else to identify the three best prop bets for this game.

Scott led the Spartans in field-goal attempts in their second game against Toledo. His 22 attempts through the first two games not only lead the team but are seven more than the next closest Spartans, Jeremy Fears Jr. and Jasiah Jervis, who each have 15.

Scott didn't start last season's matchup against Duke, but he played his fair share of minutes and understands what it takes to compete against this team.

Scott should lead the charge when it comes to putting up shots. Expect him to be among the team's leaders in attempts, and he should be able to reach double figures for the third consecutive game.

The Blue Devils' top transfer portal addition is a player from the state of Michigan who spent the previous three seasons at Wisconsin.

During those three years, Blackwell faced Michigan State four times, and his team won three of those matchups. He never scored fewer than 12 points against the Spartans and erupted for 24 points in their meeting last season.

Although Blackwell isn't averaging double-digit points yet this season, I don't think there's a better opportunity for a breakout performance than against a school he has reason to hold a grudge against after not recruiting him despite his Michigan roots.

Blackwell knocked down one three-pointer in game one and two in game two. It's only fitting that he makes three in game three.

I didn't intend for this to become the Jordan Scott slip, but here we are.

Scott recorded three assists in the season opener and followed that up with five against Toledo. Now, Vegas has his line set at just 1.5, likely because this is expected to be a lower-scoring game and the Spartans probably won't reach the 90-point mark for a third consecutive contest.

Fewer baskets mean fewer opportunities for assists.

However, I'm not going to let that deter me. Scott has been such a crucial cog in the Spartans' machine through the first two games that seeing him fail to record at least two assists seems unlikely.

I'll gladly take this line to close out my three best prop bets for the game.