Champions Classic tipoff: Analysis, prediction for Michigan State vs. Duke

•What: Michigan State vs. Duke, Champions Classic

•When: 7 p.m. (ET) Tuesday

•Where: United Center, Chicago

•TV/Radio: ESPN / Spartan Sports Network, including WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM

•Records/Rankings: MSU is 1-0 and ranked No. 2 in both major polls; Duke is 2-0 and ranked No. 1 in both major polls.

•Coaches: MSU — Tom Izzo is 545-220, in his 23rd season, all with the Spartans. Duke — Mike Krzyzewski is 1,073-330 in his 43rd season, including 1,000-271 in his 38th season with the Blue Devils

•Series: Duke leads 11-2, including 10-1 in the Tom Izzo era.

MSU

Duke

•MSU update: The Spartans will find out if they are what they think they are in a hurry against Duke. MSU lost this matchup a year ago, 78-69, on the road in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. These are very different teams. The Spartans hope they’re older, wiser and more seasoned. They are definitely bigger. It’ll be interesting to see MSU’s rotation against Duke. On Friday, Tom Izzo took Miles Bridges out quickly and then brought him back quickly to help the second unit. It makes sense. It’ll go against Izzo’s instincts to do that in a game like this. Ben Carter played early. Kenny Goins hardly played at all. We’ll get a truer sense of where Izzo’s head is in this matchup.

•Duke update: The Blue Devils pummeled Elon and Utah Valley on back to back nights over the weekend, looking every bit as overwhelming as their recruiting rankings. Duke starts four five-star freshman and senior Grayson Allen, who started against MSU as a freshman in the 2015 Final Four. Marvin Bagley is perhaps the No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA draft, a 6-11, do-it-all big man, with handles and a hook shot. Gary Trent Jr., whom the Spartans recruited, is the son of 1990s Ohio University star Gary Trent, known as the “Shaq of the MAC.”

MORE: Couch: Tom Izzo's Duke struggles are exaggerated

•Inside the matchup: There is so much intrigue to the game inside this game in this one. It begins watching Bagley against MSU freshman power forward Jaren Jackson, who is just as long and versatile, though not quite as polished offensively. Bridges will likely guard Trent Jr. most often. He knows him well from their AAU days. He might wind up on Allen at times, too, which would be fun to watch. Cassius Winston against Trevon Duval is a terrific point guard battle. But this game will be won by which of these teams is a better collective, on both ends of the court. That’s where the Spartans’ edge in experience ought to help at this point in the season.

•Prediction: Duke looks like it might be ferocious by season’s end. This is early for a team that starts four freshmen to be sharp against a quality opponent on a big stage. If it happens, look out. I’m not sure MSU will be the better team in two months. But Tuesday night, given how badly MSU’s players want this, what they endured last year in this event against Kentucky and then on the road at Duke, that sweat equity is worth something.

» Make it: MSU 77, Duke 74

— Graham Couch