Duke tops Michigan State
Grayson Allen — Duke’s lone senior — scored a career-high 37 points, freshman Trevon Duval had 17 points and 10 assists, and the top-ranked Blue Devils beat No. 2 Michigan State, 88-81, in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night in Chicago.
On a court full of some college basketball’s brightest stars, Allen stepped up whenever his team needed a big play. The Blue Devils (3-0) lost Marvin Bagley III to an eye injury midway through the first half, but Allen made 5 three-pointers and scored 21 points in the second half to help make up for the missing freshman phenom.
Wendell Carter Jr. added 12 points and 12 rebounds, helping Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski improve to 12-1 in his career against Michigan State.
Miles Bridges, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Nick Ward each scored 19 points for the Spartans, who blocked 12 shots — just one shy of the school record. Michigan State (1-1) shot 51% from the field but was out-rebounded, 46-34, by the long and athletic Blue Devils.
The 42nd meeting of the top two schools in the Amway Coaches poll since 1949 lived up to its pregame hype, with Duke and Michigan State exchanging runs for most of the night at the home of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls.
Each team had its sloppy moments typical of a mid-November game, but they also brought the crowd to its feet several times with an array of impressive jams and emphatic rejections at the rim.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Three UCLA basketball players detained in China on suspicion of shoplifting have been allowed to return home, where they may be disciplined by the school as a result of the international scandal. Freshmen LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody
Riley were on a plane back to Los Angeles that was due to land late Tuesday afternoon after a 12-hour flight from Shanghai.
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said the matter “has been resolved to the satisfaction of the Chinese authorities.”
The players were detained in Hangzhou for questioning following allegations of shoplifting last week before the 23rd-ranked Bruins beat Georgia Tech in their season-opening game in Shanghai as part of the Pac-12 China game. The rest of the UCLA team returned home last Saturday. Herd player tabbed: Xavier Munford of the GLeague’s Wisconsin Herd will suit up for the Americans in their first two Basketball World Cup qualifying games.
The Americans will play Puerto Rico on Nov. 23 in Orlando, Fla., a game moved from Puerto Rico because of hurricane damage. The U.S. will host Mexico three nights later in Greensboro, N.C.
The U.S. is relying on G League players, with NBA players unavailable for the windows during the season.
TENNIS
A day after the ATP Finals lost Rafael Nadal to injury, Roger Federer lifted spirits at London’s O2 Arena by extending his stay to the weekend.
The 19-time Grand Slam champion guaranteed his place in Saturday’s semifinals by defeating Alexander Zverev, 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-1. Jack Sock recorded the United States’ first victory at the event in 10 years by beating Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (4).
SOCCER
Weston McKennie scored in his U.S. debut, goalkeeper Ethan Horvath allowed a seemingly harmless cross to drop between his arms and into the net for an equalizer and the Americans tied Portugal, 1-1, at Leiria in their first match since failing to qualify for next year’s World Cup.
The U.S. used eight starters age 24 or younger in
Dave Sarachan’s first match as interim coach, the start of a five-year rebuilding process ahead of the 2022 World Cup.