DURHAM, N.C. ? J.J. Redick and Daniel Ewing seemed to be playing their own version of H-O-R-S-E, matching each other shot for shot, point for point.

Duke needed almost every one of them.

The backcourt players each scored 29 points and made five three-pointers, helping the 10th-ranked Blue Devils hold off No. 11 Michigan State, 81-74, on Tuesday night in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Redick had 21 points in the first half, and Ewing took up the slack after the break, scoring 15. Duke (4-0) improved to 6-0 in the made-for-TV challenge and beat the Spartans (3-1) for the second straight season.

“I was definitely in the zone in the first half,” Redick said. “I was really in the flow of the offense. It felt good. That was the first time it’s been that way this year.”

Ewing’s last three came in the final minute, when he swished one with the shot clock winding down to give Duke a 78-73 lead. That margin proved to be enough when Michigan State’s Paul Davis missed two free throws with 15 seconds left, part of a 3-for-8 run from the line down the stretch for the Spartans.

“We know we’re a good team,” Ewing said. “We just did what we had to do.”

This one was much closer than a year ago, when the Blue Devils ran away to a 72-50 victory. And it had all the intensity of an NCAA Tournament game.

Ewing and Michigan State’s Alan Anderson were called for technical fouls after trading elbows during a loose-ball scrum in the first half. That came minutes after an intentional foul was called on Maurice Ager when he tried to stop Redick from an easy basket.

Duke's Sean Dockery, left, tries to slip past Michigan State's Shannon Brown. Duke won, 81-74, Tuesday in Durham, N.C.

The Cameron Crazies let Ager hear about it, too, chanting “Ron Artest, Ron Artest.”

“I don’t know if it was like March, but it was tough out there,” Redick said. “It definitely didn’t feel like the fourth game of the season.”

Davis led the Spartans with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Anderson added 15 points.

“We just wanted to try to come down here and try to get a win,” Davis said. “We weren’t worried about last year. Everybody played their hearts out.”

Redick played the entire 40 minutes, and the wear and tear of his effort clearly played a role in the second half. His final basket came with 121/2 minutes left, a three-pointer that gave Duke a 58-49 lead.

Later, he barely hit the rim with a couple of shots.

“I’m ready to go play another 40 minutes right now,” Redick quipped. “Seriously, I’ll probably wake up and need to ice down my entire body, but I felt fine out there. I wasn’t tired.”

Ewing was there to bail him out. In a three-minute span late in the second half, he made a three, drove down the lane for a pull-up jumper and added a layup after a nifty screen from Shavlik Randolph.

No. 4 Georgia Tech 99, Michigan 68

Atlanta — Georgia Tech raised its Final Four banner before the game, then played like a team that could win it all. The Yellow Jackets took control with a 20-0 run, led by 27 points at halftime and went on to rout Michigan in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

B.J. Elder scored 27 points, Will Bynum had 19 and Jarrett Jack 16 for Georgia Tech, which shot 54 percent from the field and led by as many as 35 points.

Before tipping off, the Yellow Jackets (4-0) unveiled the banner marking last season’s trip to the Final Four in San Antonio. They lost to Connecticut in the national-championship game.

Clearly inspired, Georgia Tech took control about three minutes in. Elder got the big run started with a layup, and the Yellow Jackets fed off their stifling defense to blow out the Wolverines (3-3).

No. 7 Connecticut 99, Florida International 48

Storrs, Conn. — Rashad Anderson scored 17 points, and Hilton Armstrong had a career-high five blocked shots as Connecticut cruised past Florida International.

Armstrong and Josh Boone, who had four blocked shots and 11 rebounds, were part of UConn’s dominating frontcourt that recorded a school-record 19 blocks. The Huskies (2-0) outrebounded FIU 57-36.

No. 8 Kentucky 92, Tennessee Tech 63

Lexington, Ky. — Kelenna Azubuike emerged from a season-long shooting slump, scoring 21 points, and Kentucky beat Tennessee Tech. Chuck Hayes overcame foul trouble to add 17 points and 11 rebounds for Kentucky (4-0) in its last game before playing at No. 9 North Carolina on Saturday.

No. 25 Wisconsin 69, No. 12 Maryland 64

Madison, Wis. — Alando Tucker scored a career-high 27 points, and Wisconsin beat Maryland in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Sharif Chambliss added 15 points, and Zach Morley had 12 for the Badgers (3-1), who won their 31st straight home game. That ties Stephen F. Austin for the longest current Division One home winning streak.

All of Morley’s points came over the final 7:40 and included three free throws in the final 16 seconds.

Ekene Ibekwe scored 21 points to lead Maryland (3-1).

No. 19 Florida 88, Florida A&M 51

Gainesville, Fla. — Mohamed Abukar scored a career-high 22 points, and Florida routed Florida A&M. The sophomore was 8-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, and showed signs of being ready to give the Gators (4-0) some much-needed depth this season.

His previous career-best was 12 points, which came against Florida A&M last season. He struggled much of last season with a shoulder injury, but had offseason surgery and has fully recovered.

No. 21 Arizona 98, Wyoming 70

Tucson, Ariz. — Salim Stoudamire and freshman Jawaan McClellan each scored 19 points, and Arizona pulled away in the second half to rout Wyoming. Hassan Adams snapped out of his early season slump with 16 points for the Wildcats (4-2).

McClellan, a highly regarded recruit from Houston who committed to Arizona before his junior season in high school, was 5-for-10 from the field, including 2-of-4 on three-pointers, and was 7-for-8 from the foul line. Stoudamire was 3-of-4 on threes.

No. 23 Iowa 91, Drake 75

Des Moines, Iowa — Jeff Horner and Adam Haluksa each scored 21 points, and Horner added eight rebounds and six assists, leading Iowa over Drake. Iowa (4-1) pulled away with a 12-0 first-half run.