Michigan can become overwhelming March Madness favorite with convincing win over Duke

The Wolverines are looking to separate from the pack against the Blue Devils in D.C.

Feb 17, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Elliot Cadeau (3) shares a moment with Michigan Wolverines guard Trey McKenney (1) during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

It feels like there is some variation to the question every season entering the NCAA Tournament: The top ranked team in the country or ‘The Field’?

Last year it was Auburn and Duke against ‘The Field’ and both teams lost in the Final Four as the Florida Gators cut down the nets as National Champions.

But this year is different. There are too many elite teams at the top of the sport to truly settle on one, but Michigan could be the outlier.

The Wolverines have dominated nearly every opponent they have encountered, mostly recently handing a beatdown to No. 7 Purdue on its home floor. Its only blemish was a blown 14-point lead at home to Wisconsin, snapping a streak of 14 straight wins to begin the season but have rattled off 11 straight since.

Yet Saturday is a completely new challenge for No. 1 Michigan, and it might be its biggest test – a matchup with mighty No. 3 Duke in front of a sold-out crowd at Capital One Arena in Washinton D.C.

Another convincing victory would catapult Dusty May’s team into a stratosphere of its own among the best teams in the country. It would officially beg the question of Michigan vs. ‘The Field’ as Selection Sunday approaches.

The game could set up in favor of the Wolverines with its long and athletic front court against Duke’s dynamic big duo of Patrick Ngongba and star freshman Cameron Boozer.

It’s likely that Boozer will be matched up against one of his counterparts for National Player of the Year, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, and there hasn’t been a stage that has been too big for Lendeborg this season. In fact, he has been thriving in the big moments like a 13-point, 7-assist game against the Boilermakers after a video surfaced the weekend prior of him talking trash about Purdue in the spring.

It’s a game where both teams will know what is at stake.

Duke is already thought of as a team that can win the championship, but they will be put in the upper echelon category with Michigan and Arizona while the Wolverines will standalone as the clear March Madness favorite with another big win.

Surely Saturday night (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in D.C. will not disappoint.