CHICAGO _ No. 1 Duke remained at the top after an 88-81 victory Tuesday night at the United Center against No. 2 Michigan State in what promises to remain one of the most memorable games of the season.
Duke captain Grayson Allen _ the steady senior _ appeared stoic leading a pack of often-struggling and banged-up freshmen with a career-high 37 points in the Champions Classic. He drained 7 of 11 3-pointers, including a dagger with less than a minute remaining to put the Blue Devils ahead by seven points.
Allen's takeover performance was especially vital after freshman Marvin Bagley III sat out all but 10 minutes following a first-half eye injury.
Bagley III scored just four points and spent the second-half of the game on the bench squinting and holding his hand over his eye.
The Blue Devils shot only 39 percent for the game, hitting only 30 percent of their first-half shots. The Blue Devils made just 2 of their first 15 shots.
Miles Bridges, Jaren Jackson and Nick Ward each scored 19 points to lead the Spartans.
