Duke Basketball Team Set to Battle Ex-Tar Heel Guard

For the second year in a row, the Duke basketball non-conference slate includes a February showdown.

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

In hopes of replicating an NCAA Tournament feel late in the regular season, Duke basketball scheduled a February bout against the Illinois Fighting Illini in Madison Square Garden last go-round. Jon Scheyer and his Blue Devils prevailed, 110-67, mirroring the eventual 35-win squad's frequent blowouts across the first two weekends of March Madness en route to reaching the 2025 Final Four.

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Now, according to a report from CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein on Wednesday, the 2025-26 Duke Blue Devils and Michigan Wolverines "are finalizing an agreement to play a neutral-site game at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., in February."

It's worth noting that Capital One Arena is hosting next year's NCAA Tournament East Regional.

Duke and Michigan, both likely to begin the season with a ranking by their names, will square off on either Feb. 21 or 22, CBS Sports' Matt Norlander later added, with the "Capital One Arena organizers still working through the particulars of Saturday night vs. Sunday afternoon" and a "TV partner still TBD."

The top storyline for the contest figures to be the rematch between the Blue Devils and former two-year UNC basketball point guard Elliot Cadeau, who recently announced his transfer to Michigan.

Cadeau, a full-time starter in each of his Tar Heel campaigns, went 2-0 against the 2023-24 Duke basketball team as a freshman but 0-3 versus the 2024-25 Blue Devils as a sophomore. So, he'll have a chance to pull even with his former archrival overall.

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more 2025-26 Duke basketball schedule news.