NCAAMB Games of the Weekend: December 6-7

by Elias Meredith 12/8/25

Sportz Nation

Saturday:

Michigan State vs Duke

Photo by /Getty Images

Last Saturday, the Duke Blue Devils once again proved themselves to be a legit national championship contender. Duke defeated the Michigan State Spartans 66-60 in a packed Breslin Center filled with rowdy Michigan State faithful. The impressive victory made Duke 10-0 on the season, which is the best start to a season under the leadership of head coach Jon Scheyer, and the best start since 2017-2018 where Duke started 11-0.

Long distance accuracy was the theme of the first half. In the first half, there were 12 total threes made. Michigan State senior forward Jaxon Kohler led the way, tying a season-high four threes in the first half. 

After a handful of lead changes, the Spartans would have a three-point lead heading into the second half. Holding star Duke freshman Cameron Boozer to only two points scored in the first half also contributed to their competitiveness throughout the half.

To start the second half, it was more of the same. Both teams struggled to get a firm grasp on the lead. There were eight lead changes within the first ten minutes of the half. 

It was not until under two minutes left in the game until Duke got some breathing room. Boozer and sophomore guard Isaiah Evans gave their club the lead by drawing fouls and executing at the free throw line down the stretch. Junior guard Caleb Foster also scored five of his twelve points in the last minute of the game to propel the Blue Devils to victory.

Saturday night, Boozer showed why he should be a lottery draft pick. Despite only having two points in the first half, Boozer would finish with 18 points and 15 rebounds, notching his fifth double-double of the young season. Boozer is dominating college basketball, averaging 23 points and nearly ten rebounds per game as a freshman. Boozer’s production throughout the season will be critical to the Blue Devils success this season.

Key to Victory: Clutch Free Throws

Duke would convert on seven of their last eight free throws down the stretch to seal the deal in East Lansing.

Next for the Blue Devils:

Tuesday, December 16 vs Lipscomb at 6:00 PM EST

Next for the Spartans:

Saturday, December 13 at Penn State at 12:00 PM EST

Sunday:

Texas A&M vs SMU

Photo by Steve Carrasco IV/The Battalion

On Sunday night, the battle of the state neighbors was hosted in the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. The back and forth affair between the Texas A&M Aggies and SMU Mustangs ended in overtime, with the Mustangs coming out on top 93-80, rebounding from a blowout loss against Vanderbilt last Wednesday. 

The first half was full of runs. The Aggies got off to a quick 10-4 run to start the game, but then the Mustangs went on their own 8-0 run to take the lead back. After a few minutes where it stayed at a one possession game, the Mustangs pulled away in the first half, going on a 19-7 to close the first half.

Down by 14 going into the second half, the Aggies knew they had to chip away, and that is exactly what they did. It would take some time, but the Aggies would finally cut the Mustang lead to single digits at the 13:55 mark of the second half.

At the 6:35 mark, the Mustangs would regain their double digit lead after going on a 7-0 run, but the Aggies did not back down. The Aggies would close the second half on a 17-8 run to close the second half, sending the game to overtime. Junior guard Pop Issacs and graduate student Marcus Hill combined for 12 of the points in the comeback run.

Once it was overtime, it was all Mustangs. SMU went on a 16-3 to close out the overtime period. Jaron Pierre Jr. scored 9 of his season-high 35 points in overtime as the Mustangs advanced to second place in a loaded ACC.

Key to Victory: SMU’s Overtime Performance 

Not only did the Mustangs execute offensively in the overtime period, they also showed up defensively. The Mustangs held the Aggies to zero field goals in overtime (0-11).

Next for the Mustangs:

Saturday, December 13 vs LSU at 8:30 PM EST

Next for the Aggies:

Sunday, December 14 vs Jacksonville at 7:00 PM EST

Thank you for reading!

Elias Meredith (@EAM_55)