CHICAGO — Jon Scheyer made a beeline to the podium in the bowels of the United Center and just let it all out. The Duke coach was rightfully peeved after No. 5 Michigan State eviscerated the second-ranked Blue Devils 79-73 in a Champions Classic game that was far more one-sided than the final ledger.
"That wasn't Duke basketball," Scheyer said matter-of-factly.
The steam pouring out of Scheyer's ears was clear as day. The usually steady, level-headed, process-oriented ball-coach chided just about everything Duke put on tape Tuesday: the guard play, the connectivity, the toughness, everything.
It's hard to argue with any of it.
Duke might win the NCAA Tournament this season, but it's clear that Duke is far from the peak of its powers right now. The bad habits and rough shot selection that crept up for stretches against Army were on full display against the Spartans.
Michigan State looked connected thanks to national player of the year frontrunner Jeremy Fears Jr., who was in complete control the entire night.
Duke's offense? A frazzled mess, to put it kindly. Duke managed just 0.75 points per possession in a 25-point first-half showing. Duke had a stream of offensive stretches where the cutting and unselfishness, long a tenet of Scheyer's offenses, were MIA.
"For me, a little bit of an out-of-body experience," Scheyer said. "Bottom line, we weren't connected, and we're gonna fix it, I can promise you that much. The whole night, we just did not play through any resistance. We weren't able to get to the next action. The amount of times we just went one-on-one, against a set defense, put our head down, got our shot blocked or turned the ball over. I thought that's how they got separation. They have a great defense. It's what they do, but I'm still disappointed in our ability to fight for the rim and fight for better shots."
Michigan State's defense was the star of the show. Sophomore wing Jordan Scott looks every bit the part of a massive Year 2 breakout. He ripped down nine rebounds and swatted six shots.
"Jordan is the X factor on defense," MSU forward Cam Ward said. "He had six blocks tonight. He's everywhere, all the time. It's a luxury to have him on our team."
Michigan State did what Michigan State has done for 20 years, winning slobberknocker games like this with physicality, high-level point guard play and real toughness. Defend, rebound, run? It's the same script whether in 2026, 2016 or 2006. The Spartans have a group that is capable of doing some serious things in March, especially if it can pair this defense with the extra splash of shot-making that freshmen Carlos Medlock Jr. and Jasiah Jervis can provide.
Can Duke rediscover its form? Unquestionably. But the point guard play for Michigan State was A+, meanwhile Duke's duo of Cayden Boozer and Caleb Foster struggled mightily to put their fingerprints on this one. Boozer played just nine minutes in the second half. The alternatives weren't much better either. Foster shot just 2 of 10 from the field, including a couple of rogue "I've got this" shots that he … did not have. Prized Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell finished with a team-high 17 points thanks to a late-game flurry when the game was mostly out of reach, but Scheyer was not fooled.
"I'll be honest with you, I think on the perimeter, really, we didn't have anybody play that well," Scheyer said. "It was that kind of night. … Our guards have to be better."
There's also the Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje elephant in the room. The preseason NPOY hype machine was a bit far-fetched for a 17-year-old who is a heckuva prospect but still has a ways to go to impact the game when the jumper isn't falling. Scheyer is in a bit of an odd predicament because the best version of Duke includes the 7-foot-1 sharpshooting 4-man. But Boumtje Boumjte was so quiet in this one, depositing just five points and four rebounds.
"This is a high-level game; JoJo is wired for these moments, but we just gotta continue to figure out how to give him the ball," Scheyer said. "I mean, we gotta look for him. We gotta put him in better positions. And then it's just the things you have to learn as a 17-year-old, just of how to impact the game, without the ball, defense, rebounding. I was proud of him, man, 'cause he came back in, and he showed some, uh, great competitiveness, got the rebound, uh, but we got to be better on getting him shots. We gotta be better. JoJo is gonna continue to learn and grow from this, and we're gonna go through some of these moments this year."
Better days are ahead for Boumtje Boumtje, but Tuesday will not make NBA Draft experts explode on social media.
It's back to the drawing board for Scheyer. Searching for the team that plays we, not me, basketball. Seeing if he can find some lineups with more balance and shooting.
It's time for recalibration.
