Tuesday night college basketball will see legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski go for the all-time win total in Division I basketball with his 903rd victory. The Blue Devils will take on the Michigan State Spartans in the State Farm Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 pm tipoff and will be televised nationally on ESPN. Duke is favored in this game by 6.5 points with the total being set at 138.5 for the contest.
Free Analysis: Michigan State is running the gauntlet early as their opening two contests pitted them against No. 1 North Carolina and tonight against No. 6 Duke. Krzyzewski can pass Bob Knight for the all-time win record as coach of Duke with his 903rd win. The Blue Devils had a bit of a barnburner in their first game this season as Belmont gave them all that they could handle at home. Duke won that game by a point and should be more focused in tonight's contest against the Spartans. Michigan State played North Carolina on the aircraft carrier last week in San Diego and didn't look good offensively. I wonder how much of that has to deal with the conditions, however. But then again it didn't seem to bother the Tar Heels that much. Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said his team is looking forward to play in this game. "I told my guys, 'This is about our chance because we're playing the game, too,'" he said. "Really, it's neat to be playing a game like this. Once the game starts, I hope it will be about the game." Michigan State is going to have to improve off of their loss last week where they shot less than 31 percent. They were also 2 for 20 from beyond the arc, which doesn't bode well for the Spartans. Duke was able to get a bounce back win over Presbyterian on Saturday where they racked up 95 points. I doubt they'll be able to get to that number against a good defensive team in Michigan State, but they at least have some of the bad taste out of their mouth from the Belmont game. I'd expect Duke to be very emotional in tonight's game looking to pull out a win for their coach.
Free Pick: I think playing on a neutral floor benefits Duke more in this contest. They're favored by 6.5 points, which isn't too much, but it is more than two possessions. I wasn't impressed with Michigan State at all in their opening game against North Carolina, but the Tar Heels are No. 1 for a reason. I know there is going to be a lot of emotion tied to this game with Duke, but I think they are too athletic for the Spartans, especially this early in the season. If this game were in January it might be a different story. Izzo tends to get the best of his players on the defensive end of the floor, but I'm just not sold on Michigan State being where they want to be just yet.
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