3 Thoughts on Michigan Basketball Replacing Duke with Louisville

The Wolverines are set to play Louisville this season after their game with Duke was canceled.

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For the second year in a row, Michigan was supposed to take on the Duke Blue Devils. The Wolverines lost a close one a season ago, and both Dusty May and Jon Scheyer wanted a rematch. However, thanks to broadcasting rights, the game was canceled.

The Wolverines quickly secured a replacement and it's the Louisville Cardinals. It will be first game between the two teams since the 2019-20 season. The game will be played on Dec. 5 in Detroit, with another game set for the following season in Indianapolis.

Here are a few thoughts on the matchup.

Battle of the star transfer big men

Both Michigan and Louisville signed one of the best big men in the transfer portal — both being familiar with one another.

There was initially smoke that Michigan wanted Kansas big man Flory Bidunga, but he opted to head to Louisville, commanding big NIL money. And the Wolverines landed the next best prospect after signing Cincinnati center Moustapha Thiam.

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Thiam played two seasons in the Big 12, going toe-to-toe with Kansas and Bidunga. In fact, in the lone meeting against Kansas last season, Thiam put up 28 points, shooting 11-17 from the field, and grabbing eight rebounds. Bidunga scored 12 in the matchup.

It will be an early test for Thiam, but having familiarity playing against him, Thiam can give Michigan a solid scouting report on how to defend Louisville's new best player.

New-look Cardinals team

After making it to the NCAA Tournament and getting beat in the Round of 32 against Michigan State, Louisville will have a new starting lineup this season. Losing star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. to the NBA Draft, the Cardinals also lost six players to the transfer portal.

But Louisville certainly landed a few star players. Flory Bidunga, Oregon's Jackson Shelstad, and Arkansas' Karter Knox round out its top three finds this offseason. In total, Pat Kelsey landed six players in the portal.

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Both programs will enter Dec. 5 looking a lot different from last season. For Michigan, the Wolverines will return both Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney in the backcourt, likely giving Michigan an edge in that department, but the Wolverines' frontcourt is new.

J.P. Estrella and Moustapha Thiam will be the new starting pair down low for Michigan and it should be a good first test for Mike Boynton Jr.'s program.

Michigan can get some revenge

In the past three games between the two schools, Louisville has won two of them. Michigan's last win against the Cardinals came back in March during the 2016-17 season, in the NCAA Tournament, where the Wolverines won, 73-69.

But the game most fans are going to remember is the 2012-13 national title loss to the Cardinals. Michigan would lose that game 82-76, and Trey Burke's 'block' would be the deciding factor.

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Burke would go up to block Peyton Silva's layup, but was called for an egregious foul. Fast forward, and the Wolverines would lose the game and that call cost Michigan a national title.

Clearly, this game doesn't hold the same magnitude, but Michigan does owe the Cardinals a few more losses, and this would be a good start.