Fears Jr. leads Michigan State by Duke in Champions Classic - ESPN

CHICAGO — Jeremy Fears Jr. entered the season as the player of the year front-runner, a returning second-team All-American and the nation's assists leader. But after an uneven preseason and an inconsistent first two regular-season games, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo challenged his point guard heading into the Champions Classic.

«You're given a rank, you have a responsibility to live up to that ranking,» Izzo said.

The senior guard responded by leading the No. 5 Spartans to a statement win over No. 2 Duke 79-73 on Tuesday night in a game the Blue Devils never led and trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half.

Fears finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and eleven assists — becoming just the second Division I player over the last five seasons to post at least 15 points, five rebounds and 10 assists against a top-five team, according to ESPN Research.

«He plays with amazing control over the game, and it's hard to stop a guy if you give him 17 free throws,» Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. «It's really difficult. That was a big point of emphasis for us. I got to go back and watch how much of that was us, how much of that is him. He does a great job initiating. And then our pick-and-roll defense was the worst it's been since I can remember. We were switching up coverages. We gave him way too much freedom.»

Fears, who now has 31 assists in three games this season, struggled in last season's game against Duke, going 0-for-10 from the field despite dishing out 13 assists. It was clear from the outset Tuesday night that last season was not going to dissuade him from being aggressive against the Blue Devils. He drew a foul driving to the basket on Michigan State's second possession, then racked up three assists before the