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Magic Johnson reacts to Michigan State’s impressive road win vs Duke
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Magic Johnson likes what he is seeing from this Spartans squad, and he is likely not alone in that sentiment!
There is a lot to like early on about this particularly Michigan State team. Tom Izzo has the Spartans off to a 3-0 start, and that includes back-to-back wins over ACC opponents in Notre Dame and Duke.
The latest win came Tuesday evening as Michigan State traveled to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on Coach K and the Blue Devils. Despite a rough start to the game, it turned into a classic defensive showing by the Spartans, finishing off the game with a 75-69 win.
It was the defense to start the season that earned high praise from Magic and for good reason. In three games, the Spartans are limiting teams to 17-for-65 shooting from three-point range. That is just 26% as Duke went 5-for-23 Tuesday.
The other thing that stood out to the legendary Spartan was the depth and bench play. That effort was led by Julius Marble II and Malik Hall, a duo that combined for 22 points on 7-for-10 shooting in the game.
Here is what Johnson had to say after the game:
YESSIRRRRR!!!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) December 2, 2020
Great win for my @MSU_Basketball team beating Duke 75-69 led by Watts with 20 points and Henry with 14!! #GoGreenGoWhite
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) December 2, 2020
In the first three games MSU’s defense has been awesome!! Overall, the team is very deep and talented with the bench scoring 38 points tonight.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) December 2, 2020
The next Power 5 opponent for the Spartans will be another ACC road trip to play at No. 15 Virginia on Dec. 9. Though that is officially Michigan State’s game for the B1G/ACC Challenge, the Spartans could move to 3-0 against the conference with a win over the Cavaliers.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.