Duke Makes Statement With Win Over Michigan

The No. 3-ranked Duke Blue Devils improved to 25-2 overall on the 2025-26 campaign following a massive 68-63 victory in Washington, D.C. over No. 1 Michigan. In a matchup between arguably the top two teams in the sport this season, the Blue Devils have now cemented a signature win.

Entering the contest between the two heavyweight contenders, it felt like whichever team came out on top would become the new No. 1 team in practically every computer metric and the new No. 1 team in the Associated Press Top 25. Michigan and Duke came into the game rated as the top two teams in the NCAA NET Rankings and at KenPom, respectively.

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Duke came into the contest on a three-game win streak, winning those games by an average margin of 22 points. As for the Wolverines, they were winners of 11 in a row, most recently coming off a 91-80 win at Mackey Arena over No. 7 Purdue on Tuesday night.

The Blue Devils put together what could very well be their best defensive performance of the entire season so far, as they controlled the paint and limited the Wolverines' opportunities inside as a whole.

Feb 16, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) celebrates with Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba II (21) during the during the second half against the Syracuse Orange at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Yaxel Lendeborg, who is in the conversation to be the second-best player in college basketball besides Duke freshman superstar Cameron Boozer, went for a game-high 21 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks on 7-of-15 (46.7%) shooting from the field.

Dusty May's club did a solid job limiting Boozer in the scoring column relative to his normal production, which was somewhat expected given the length that the Wolverines boast down low. Boozer finished the contest with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists on 6-of-10 (60%) shooting from the floor.

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’s Passing on Full Display Against Michigan

Michigan contained Boozer as a scorer inside the paint, but the National Player of the Year frontrunner showed how heavily he can impact the game in every way. Boozer was two assists short of his career high and was extremely effective when he drew multiple defenders into the paint.

The Blue Devils assisted on 17 of their 25 made field goals.

Duke will now likely move to the top spot in the AP Poll and become the top projected overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Duke is now 11-2 in Quadrant 1 games, 17-2 across the first two quadrants, and 9-2 against ranked opponents this season.

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