Most Daunting Opponent on Remaining Duke Basketball Schedule

There's no telling if either the Duke basketball squad or the Michigan Wolverines will be undefeated when they meet in Washington, D.C., for their Duel in The District battle in Capital One Arena on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). But don't rule out that possibility, as both the No. 3-ranked Blue Devils (10-0, 0-0 ACC) and No. 2 Wolverines (9-0, 1-0 Big Ten) are soaring in early-season action.

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Duke is off to the program's best start since the 2017-18 unit began its eventual Elite Eight campaign with 11 straight wins. Jon Scheyer's fourth group of Blue Devils has already reeled off victories against four teams currently sitting among the top 20 in the AP Top 25 Poll: the No. 9 Michigan State Spartans, No. 17 Arkansas Razorbacks, No. 18 Florida Gators, and No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks.

Duke basketball versus the Michigan State Spartans — Duke's Isaiah Evans, left, shoots a three pointer before getting fouled by Jordan Scott, right, during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Granted, Duke basketball will face its fair share of difficult foes in conference play before squaring off against Michigan over two months from now. After all, three other ACC teams are ranked this week, and several more are knocking on the door.

Meanwhile, including Michigan, the Big Ten has six in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.

That said, if the Wolverines continue to perform at the level they have of late, their conference opponents are sure to have their hands full in trying to overpower Dusty May's deep cast, which features seven players averaging over seven points per game.

On Tuesday night, Michigan jumped out to a 53-23 halftime lead against the visiting Villanova Wildcats, who entered the contest with only one loss, en route to an 89-61 victory in the Crisler Center.

Three days earlier, they disposed of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to the tune of a 101-60 final score.

And on three straight days during the week of Thanksgiving, the Wolverines recorded the following eye-popping lopsided victories in Las Vegas: 94-54 over the San Diego State Aztecs, 102-72 over the now-No. 21 Auburn Tigers, and 101-61 over the now-No. 8 Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Oct 4, 2024; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils center court logo before the Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

The Blue Devils, led by freshman forward and Naismith Award frontrunner Cameron Boozer, are now preparing to host the Lipscomb Bisons (6-4, 0-0 ASUN) at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday (ACC Network). Then, they will head to New York City's Madison Square Garden, where they defeated the Jayhawks in last month's Champions Classic, this time to play the No. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-2, 0-0 Big 12) on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN).

Texas Tech will be the last non-conference test on the Duke basketball slate until the Blue Devils encounter the Wolverines.

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