Duke basketball got a harsh dose of reality on Tuesday night inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.
It is going to be a college basketball season full of strange sights, sounds, and outcomes, and the Duke basketball team received that message loud and clear on Tuesday night.
In what is typically a neutral site game, this is no typical year, and the Michigan State Spartans (3-0) traveled to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face the Duke Blue Devils (1-1) in the Champions Classic.
No Cameron Crazies, no fans, just fake crowd noise and the beautiful sounds of sneakers squeaking and a basketball bouncing.
However, those sounds ended up being negatives for the Blue Devils as the Crazies were not there to give them a spark following their hot start, in which the five-time National Champions jumped out to a 23-15 lead.
ALSO READ: Duke standout makes NBA history before stepping on the court
Tom Izzo‘s squad was able to regroup, and after Jalen Johnson exited the first half with two fouls, the Spartans flipped the script on the Blue Devils and took a 37-31 lead into halftime and never looked back.
Michigan State went on to win, 75-69, and the score was much closer than the second half would indicate as the Blue Devils tried to mount a late comeback.
To be blunt and honest, Wendell Moore and DJ Steward, who were both starters, were awful on Tuesday.
The two combined for 10 points, all from the free throw line, shooting 0-for-16 from the field and 0-for-9 from 3-point territory.
Johnson was completely thrown out of his rhythm after the two early fouls, following up his historic opening night game with 11 points and four rebounds on 4-of-11 shooting.
Sophomore Matthew Hurt was the best player on the floor for the Blue Devils with 21 points and 13 rebounds while senior point guard Jordan Goldwire also added 10 points and five rebounds.
A major positive that can be drawn from Duke’s loss was the emergence of Jaemyn Brakefield, who produced with high energy minutes and 11 points.
Duke basketball has plenty of time to regroup
Despite the shortened season, this was the first true test for a majority of the Blue Devils’ roster, and going up against a veteran-led Michigan State team didn’t help.
How this team responds from adversity will be the telling sign of how the 2020-21 season might fair in Durham.
ALSO READ: Duke off to scorching start under Kara Lawson
Goldwire emerged as a leader in the attempted comeback down the stretch, and that could be something Mike Krzyzewski needs to lean on moving forward this year.
Tre Jones and the Cameron Crazies aren’t coming to help this season, so the Hall of Famer clearly has his work cut out for him.
Duke will be back in action against Bellarmine (0-0) on Friday night (7:00 pm EST, ACC Network Extra) in Cameron Indoor Stadium.