Jon Scheyer Was Blunt About Duke’s Michigan State Loss

Duke head coach Jon Scheyer did not reach for an excuse after his No. 2 Blue Devils lost to the No. 5 Michigan State Spartans by a final score of 79-73 in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night at the United Center in Chicago. He handed the credit to the Spartans and put the blame on his own team.Michigan State jumped out to an 11-2 lead at the 17:30 mark of the first half, with guard Jeremy Fears Jr. assisting on three straight baskets, and the Spartans never looked back. It was the first loss of the season for Duke, which fell to 2-1 while Michigan State moved to 3-0.Nov 10, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer gestures to his team against the Michigan State Spartans during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)Jon Scheyer Gave Michigan State the CreditScheyer opened his postgame press conference with the Spartans. “Congrats to Michigan State. They 100% deserved to win. I thought they outcompeted us. They played more together,” he said, per Spartans Wire. He added, “Credit all the world to Coach Izzo and Michigan State.” Tom Izzo had an admission of his own after the win.On Fears, Scheyer said, “I think you’ve got to tip your cap to him. He controlled the whole game.” He went on: “He plays with amazing control over the game, and it’s hard to stop a guy if you give him 17 free throws.”Scheyer was harder on his own group. “That wasn’t Duke basketball. We did not play together,” he said. “Bottom line, we weren’t connected, and we’re gonna fix it, I can promise you that much,” he told reporters, per CBS Sports. He also said Duke’s fans “deserve better.”Jeremy Fears Jr. Controlled the Game for Michigan StateIt was very hard for the Blue Devils to contain Fears all game long. He scored 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded 11 assists in 33 minutes. He dictated the game from start to finish for this Spartans basketball team.He did it without needing his jumper, going 3-of-9 from the field and getting to the free-throw line 17 times, where he made 12. Fears was also a factor on the defensive end, blocking one shot and recording one steal.They are a deep bunch, and the talk coming in was about how deep Duke was.The Spartans Shot Better Than the Blue Devils DidFrom the field, Michigan State was 25-of-56 (45%) and 7-of-20 from three-point land (35%). As for Duke, the Blue Devils shot 20-of-60 (33%) from the field and only 7-of-29 from three (24%). Duke being thrown off in this game was about more than just Fears. The Blue Devils offense was out of rhythm because of how well the Spartans defense played.