Grayson Allen & The Blue Devils Take Down Michigan State
Last nights NCAA matchup between (1) Duke and (2) Michigan State was a potential final four caliber matchup. This game was entertaining since the tip off, and both teams went back and forth with capturing the lead. In the end Duke pulled out the win 88-81, mostly due to the big game that Grayson Allen had. People, this Duke team is 100% legit and it will be very hard to bet against them once March comes. Last night Duke’s star Marvin Bagley III sustained and eye injury early on in the first half, and did not play the rest of the game. Duke still won the game with the potential number one pick in this years NBA draft on the bench.
Senior guard Grayson Allen took over the game right before the second half where he made a fade away three at the leading into halftime. Allen went off for 37 points, and really showed that he was the best player on the court last night. However, this Duke team also had an impressive night on the boards. Freshman Wendell Carter Jr, stepped up and grabbed 12 rebounds and also scored 12 points. Sophomore Javin DeLaurier also had a great night on the boards grabbing 7 rebounds. In total Duke outrebounded Michigan State 46-34.
This Michigan State team is not scared to shoot the ball. I love the offense that Coach Izzo drew up for his team. He stacked the week side of Dukes 3-2 zone so that a low post player could run the baseline. This worked early on for the Spartans, but Duke caught on later in the game. What really killed Michigan state was the number of turnovers they had. The Spartans coughed the ball up 17 times. As I said early, the Spartans were destroyed on the offensive glass. All this being said, the Spartans only lost the game by seven points. If they cut down on the turnovers, and pulled down a few more rebounds, this game could have had a totally different outcome. Their star Sophomore Miles Bridges is an early candidate for the Wooden Award, and he should lead this team to having a great season.
Written By: Connor Strayer (@Big_C19)