Duke 81, MSU 71: Duo who jilted Izzo burns Spartans

INDIANAPOLIS – For a foregone conclusion, MSU vs. Duke looked suspiciously like a basketball game tonight.

Yes, the young, fourth-ranked Blue Devils were better. They led all the way and prevailed, 81-71, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in the fourth annual Champions Classic.

This did not look like a hopeless attempt, though, for the No. 19 Spartans (1-1). In fact, a smarter, cleaner MSU team might have done much more than close within three points of Duke (3-0) midway through the second half.

The Spartans had 13 turnovers leading to 24 Duke points and too many defensive mistakes leading to several more, falling to 2-2 in the Champions Classic – both losses to Duke, with a win over Kansas in 2012 and Kentucky in 2013. - Read more at Freep.com