Perfectly predicting the scores of every Duke basketball game this season
By Matt Giles
Predicting the final score of the third Duke basketball game this season
Opponent: Michigan State Spartans
Date: Dec. 1
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST (ESPN)
Location: Durham, N.C. (Cameron Indoor Stadium)
Michigan State’s record last season: 22-9 (14-6 in Big Ten)
Head coach: Tom Izzo (628-241 overall record in 26 seasons as a head coach, all at Michigan State)
Why Duke will lose: The preseason No. 13 Spartans are the first true test for the Blue Devils (in a game that is part of the Champions Classic but is taking place at Duke rather than a neutral court because of safety concerns). Look for Tom Izzo’s veteran squad to enact some clever strategy to take advantage of a fan-less Cameron Indoor Stadium, handing Mike Krzyzewski’s young bunch its first of potentially a handful of losses in Durham across a home-heavy schedule.
Predicted final score: Michigan State 71, Duke 61
Duke’s predicted overall record to date: 2-1 (0-0 in ACC)