Collective Effort Leads Duke Over Top-Ranked Wolverines

No. 3 Duke has now put the entire college basketball world on notice after the Blue Devils took down No. 1 Michigan 68-63 at Capital One Arena on Saturday night. The Blue Devils will almost assuredly move to the top spot in the Associated Press Top 25 and become the top overall projected seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

After the NCAA NET Rankings were updated, Duke is now 13-2 in Quadrant 1 games, 16-2 across the first two quadrants, 4-1 at neutral sites, and 9-2 against AP Top 25 opponents. The Blue Devils now own the most wins over ranked teams in college basketball and more Quadrant 1 victories than any other team in the sport.

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Duke came into the contest winners of its previous three games, while winning those contests by an average margin of 22 points. As for the Wolverines, they entered the heavyweight bout on Saturday night on an 11-game win streak, most recently taking down No. 7 Purdue 91-80 at Mackey Arena on Tuesday.

The Blue Devils had very little room for error and played an extremely clean game on both sides of the ball, making a major statement that they are likely the new team to beat come postseason time.

Feb 16, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) brings the ball around Syracuse Orange forward William Kyle (42) during the during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Duke Controlled the Interior

Michigan boasts one of the most productive frontcourt trios in all of college basketball with 6'9" Morez Johnson, 6'9" Yaxel Lendeborg, and 7'3" Aday Mara. Both Duke and Michigan thrive in the paint, and it felt like whichever team controlled the interior would come out on top. That's exactly what took place.

The Blue Devils outscored the Wolverines 34-24 in the paint while outrebounding Michigan 41-28 overall and 13-8 on the offensive glass.

Feb 10, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts on the court against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half at Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Loud Truth Duke’s Win Over Michigan Tells the Nation

Duke maintained control of the game for the majority of the second half, but it did so with freshman sensation Cameron Boozer on the bench for an extended time due to foul trouble. In several of the Blue Devils' signature games this season, Boozer has single-handedly run the offensive show for Duke.

Against the Wolverines, the Blue Devils proved it can beat elite teams even with Boozer on the bench.

As a team, Duke shot 45% from the field and 6-of-19 (32%) from the three-point line. It held a Michigan squad that averages about 90 points per game to just 63 on 40% shooting from the floor and 6-of-25 (24%) shooting from three.

This was just the second contest all season where Michigan was held to under 70 total points.

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