A brief history of Duke basketball’s recent dominance over Michigan State

The three Duke basketball games against Michigan State from 2014 to 2016

2014 – Duke and Michigan State again met in the Champions Classic. This time, the game was in Indianapolis. New city. Same result. The Blue Devils were in complete control and won, 81-71. Duke was led by sensational freshmen Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, and Justise Winslow. But it was actually senior Quinn Cook who led all scorers with 19 points and dished out a team-high six assists.

2015 – The only instance in the past decade of Duke and Michigan State meeting multiple times in one season was in 2014-15. The Blue Devils and Spartans met again in the Final Four, and they were right back in Indianapolis, the site of their game back in November.

This game was never really in question. Duke dominated right from the jump to advance to the championship game. The Blue Devils beat the Spartans by 20 and had three players in double-figures. They also shot over 50 percent from the field. It was a championship-level performance through and through, and it was a hint at what was to come two nights later.

2016 – The ACC-Big Ten Challenge once again featured Duke versus Michigan State. Similar to the 2010 matchup, the game was in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils were without some key players, such as Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles, and Marques Bolden.

Duke did not have a great shooting night but was still able to win, 78-69. Four Blue Devils finished with double-figure point totals, led by Grayson Allen, who had 24 points. Luke Kennard pitched in with 20 points and six rebounds against Michigan State, which had a talented freshman class featuring Miles Bridges, Cassius Winston, and Joshua Langford.