Elite Singular Matchup Looms Between Duke and Michigan

The No. 3-ranked Duke Blue Devils (24-2, 13-1 ACC) will face likely their most daunting test of the entire 2025-26 campaign on Saturday, as the Blue Devils will face No. 1 Michigan at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Tip-off is slated for 6:30 pm ET.

Duke and Michigan are a combined 49-3 overall and 20-2 against Quadrant 1 opponents, each with two of the top resumes in all of college basketball. The Wolverines and Blue Devils are also the top two teams in both the NCAA NET Rankings and at KenPom, respectively.

Jan 31, 2026; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer watches his team against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the second half against Virginia Tech Hokies at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Both squads are extremely talented on both sides of the ball, featuring young talent mixed with veteran presences that play extremely connected for a full 40 minutes. Both Dusty May and Jon Scheyer are in contention to win this season's Coach of the Year award.

Most fans and analysts around the sport at this point of the campaign agree that Cameron Boozer is undoubtedly the National Player of the Year frontrunner. The 6'9" forward is fourth in the nation in scoring average at 22.8 points per game to go along with 10.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.7 steals a night on 58.2% shooting from the field and 39.4% shooting from three.

Feb 16, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) interacts with his teammates during the during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

He leads the Blue Devils in every major statistical category outside of blocks.

However, Duke's date with Michigan could provide the best one-on-one matchup college basketball has to offer this season.

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

Cameron Boozer vs. Yaxel Lendeborg Will Be Cinema for Fans

Although Boozer is clearly the best player in the country at this point of the season, the second-best player in the sport could be Michigan's 6'9" forward Yaxel Lendeborg. Lendeborg came to Ann Arbor from UAB this season as the top overall player in the NCAA Transfer Portal.

On the season, Lendeborg is averaging 14.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.2 steals a game on 50% shooting from the floor and 30.6% from three. He leads the Wolverines in points, rebounds, and steals.

The big man could very well be Boozer's primary matchup on Saturday, priming the contest for an elite matchup between maybe the top two players in the sport.

Feb 17, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard C.j Cox (0) defends against Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) during the second half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Numbers Indicate How Valuable Boozer and Lendeborg Are

According to EvanMiya.com, Boozer leads the nation in Offensive Bayesian Performance Rating (9.00) and total Bayesian Performance Rating (13.73). Lendeborg is second nationally in total Bayesian Performance Rating (13.08), and leads the nation in Defensive Bayesian Performance Rating (5.45).

These metrics essentially measure how valuable a player is to his team when he is on the floor versus when he is not. As the numbers indicate, Boozer and Lendeborg are likely the two most valuable players in college hoops.

Feb 10, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) grabs a loose ball against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second half at Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

With decently similar play styles, Boozer vs. Lendeborg will be a top-tier watch for fans.

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.

As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE, and following us on X (formerly Twitter) HERE.