Duke vs. Michigan State prediction, pick, odds, spread: Blue Devils, Spartans renew rivalry in top 10 showdown

The first leg of the Champions Classic will feature one of the best nonconference matchups of the entire season

Nov 9, 2026 at 5:16 pm ET • 3 min read

The first leg of a marquee doubleheader in Chicago on Tuesday at the Champions Classic will feature one of the top nonconference matchups of the 2026-27 season when No. 2 Duke faces No. 5 Michigan State. The Blue Devils have won four of the last five matchups against the Spartans, including a six-point road win last season.

Duke is off to a 2-0 start after wins over Army and Coastal Carolina to begin the season. In the 113-52 win over Coastal Carolina, Duke big man Patrick Ngongba II had one of the best games of his college career, finishing with 28 points and nine rebounds. 

The Blue Devils have one of the deepest rosters in the sport and that depth will be valuable throughout the season and in big ranked-on-ranked matchups like this upcoming game. A key storyline in preseason training camp was who would start at point guard for Duke. The answer to that question during the first two games was Cayden Boozer getting the nod over veteran Caleb Foster.

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Cameron Salerno

Michigan State also opened up the season with back-to-back wins. The Spartans defeated Quinnipiac in their opener and followed it up with a 30-point win over Toledo at home. CBS Sports Preseason Player of the Year Jeremy Fears Jr. recorded 20 assists combined during his first two games, including a double-double (13 points, 11 assists) in just 26 minutes against Quinnipiac.

Ahead of what should be one of the biggest games of the season, here is everything you need to know.

Duke vs. Michigan State: Need to know

Duke's bigs have the advantage: The key matchup to watch in this game is Duke's bigs against Michigan State's. The Blue Devils have a sizeable advantage with Ngongba and freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje. That matchup should be a big test for MSU center Anton Bonke, who posted 11 points and 13 rebounds during MSU's opener against Quinnipiac.

Resume builder for the winner: Michigan State and Duke both have very tough schedules coming up, so this game should serve as a valuable resume builder for both. Duke has upcoming matchups against Illinois, UConn and Florida during the next month, while MSU has a date with Tennessee next week and Arkansas on Thanksgiving. 

Why Duke's depth is so valuable: A lot has been made about Duke's depth entering this season. It's definitely a thing. For the first time, it will be tested against a tough Michigan State squad. Being able to bring Foster, Deron Rippey Jr., Cameron Williams, Sebastian Wilkins and Drew Scharnowski off the bench is a luxury 99% of college basketball teams don't have. Depth will be key in this game after Duke played back-to-back blowouts to start the year.

Where to watch Duke vs. Michigan State live

Date: Tuesday, Nov. 10 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: United Center -- Chicago
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)

Duke vs. Michigan State predictions

Duke has the advantage in the frontcourt and off the bench. That's going to be the difference in this game. It's going to take a very big game from Fears for Michigan State to win this one. This will be the first of many tests Duke faces and passes throughout the season. It wouldn't surprise me if Duke won this game by double digits. That's how much I love Duke's depth. They can go 10-deep every game and wear teams out with fresh players coming off the bench Pick: Duke -6.5

	Gary Parrish	Matt Norlander	David Cobb	Cameron Salerno	Isaac Trotter
DUKE -6.5	Michigan St.	Duke	Duke	Duke	Michigan St.
STRAIGHT-UP	Duke	Duke	Duke	Duke	Duke

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