EAST LANSING — Free Press sports writer Andrew Birkle picks the winners and losers from Michigan State basketball’s66-60 loss to Duke at Breslin Center on Saturday, Dec. 6.WinnersJaxon KohlerComing into the season, one of the major questions surrounding these Spartans was the 3-point shooting. They’re still not an elite shooting team, ranking 180th in the country in 3-point percentage – about middle of the pack – entering the game, but they’ve done enough. Jaxon Kohler gets a lot of credit for that.Kohler showed an ability to occasionally knock them down last year, with 19 3s in 2024, but has taken a big leap as a shooter. He entered Saturday’s game with 12 3s on the year, then hit four of five 3-point attempts in the first half to help the Spartans take a 34-31 lead at the break. He’s proving to be a threat outside.Jordan ScottThe freshman simply makes plays every time he comes into the game. His extendo-arms get in passing lanes, he dives on the floor and chases after rebounds. The Duke game was no different, and now he’s making shots. THE GAME: Michigan State flummoxed by Duke zone, Spartans wilt 66-60 in 1st lossAfter an electric spurt in the first half where Scott seemed to be in five different places on the floor at once, he made an even bigger impact in the second half when he buried two key 3-pointers, one forcing a timeout from Duke coach Jon Scheyer. If he can continue hitting shots, even just the timely ones, he’ll have a huge role on this team.Cameron BoozerThe first half was rough for the five-star freshman and future top-five pick. The Spartans threw veteran big man Carson Cooper on him and he made Boozer work for everything, as he hit the break with just two points. The second half was a different story.It was an easy adjustment for Scheyer and the Blue Devils. On the first half of the second half, they dumped it in to Boozer and he scored a layup. On the second possession, he got the ball again and got fouled.He finished with 18 points – 16 in the second half – as he really took over the game, also adding 15 rebounds and five assists.LosersCoen CarrEven on a day when he finished as one of only three MSU players to score in double figures, Carr often looked discombobulated.He took some shots that had no chance of going in from under the basket, finished 4-for-13 and had a turnover late in the second half on a bad pass that led to a Duke fastbreak the other way.There were still highlight plays, including a nasty slam early in the first half, but Carr can impact winning much more than he did on Saturday, when he seemed rushed and sometimes tried to do too much.COEN CARR HAMMER TIME 🔨 @MSU_BasketballBreslin goes WILD! pic.twitter.com/UWiadJ0Ixa— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 6, 2025MSU’s ability to beat a zoneIf you follow MSU basketball, you know the trope about the Spartans not being able to beat a zone. After the Spartans were having some success on offense early, Scheyer wisely threw a zone at MSU, and it worked.After Carson Cooper made a dunk to give the Spartans a 53-51 lead with 5:40 left in the game, the Spartans didn’t make another field goal until there was 40 seconds left. It was a killer time for a drought, but also showed how few answers MSU had for the zone. Jeremy Fears Jr. There’s no doubt that Fears is the straw that stirs the drink for MSU.He finished with 13 assists and was in control of the game in the first half, best signified by a foul he drew in the final seconds before the break – he dribbled right at the Duke defender and got two freebies.But MSU needs more from Fears.He finished 0-for-10 from the field, with misses at all three levels. It wasn’t that he couldn’t create the space, as he had space; he just missed shots he’s capable of hitting.In a game the Spartans lost by six, you have to wonder if Fears making just three of those 10 misses changes the result. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Duke vs MSU winners/losers: Jeremy Fears can’t finish without a FG