Michigan State made the first big statement of the college basketball season.

Jeremy Fears Jr. had 18 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds as the No. 5 Spartans beat No. 2 Duke 79-73 on Tuesday night in the Champions Classic at the United Center in Chicago.

Michigan State never trailed. It was the Spartans' first win over Duke since December 2020.

Tom Izzo's kind of game

The Spartans played the swarming, physical defense their coach is known for. Duke shot just 33.3% from the field and 24.1% from 3-point range. The Blue Devils also turned it over 13 times.

Sophomore forward Jordan Scott was a wall at the rim. He blocked a career-high six shots and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

Michigan State jumped out 11-2 in the first two and a half minutes and led 34-25 at the half. Fears had eight assists by the break.

Fears takes over late

Fears scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half. He made 12 of 17 free throws.

Duke closed to 73-68 with just over two minutes left. Scott answered with a driving layup and Fears hit two free throws with 39 seconds to go to seal it.

Cam Ward added 14 points and freshman Jasiah Jervis scored 10. Ten different Spartans scored.

A rough night for Duke

John Blackwell led Duke with 17 points but needed 16 shots to get them. Patrick Ngongba II played through an illness and finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four blocks.

The Blue Devils had won their first two games by a combined 85 points. They also struggled at the free-throw line, going 26 of 37.

Michigan State is 3-0 and hosts Northern Iowa on Friday. Duke falls to 2-1 and hosts SIU Edwardsville on Friday.