How to Watch, Score Prediction for No. 1 Michigan Basketball vs. No. 3 Duke

After a dominant win over Big Ten foe Purdue this week, Michigan will now head to the nation's capital to take on No. 3 Duke. The Wolverines will face the Blue Devils for the first time since 2013, and Michigan will look to take down Duke for the first time since 2008.

Michigan has been the most complete team in the country, but Duke isn't too far behind the Wolverines. Fans could be witnessing a preview of the national title in April. Both teams have a dominant front court and want to prove they are the better team.

Here's how you can see the game and my prediction.

How to watch

Day: Saturday, Feb. 21
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Where: Capital One Arena (Washington, DC)
Network: ESPN
On the call: Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas
Radio: Michigan Sports Network from LEARFIELD

Prediction

Michigan's lone loss came to Wisconsin at home, while Duke has faltered just twice — to Texas Tech and North Carolina. While both teams are two of the elite, they couldn't be more different.

Duke is full of youth and is led by star freshman Cameron Boozer. Whereas Michigan is full of experience and has veteran leadership. The Wolverines' players have seen it all, while the Blue Devils haven't faced valuable adversity. Also, Duke hasn't seen an oversized front court like the Wolverines.

Michigan Wolverines guard Nimari Burnett (4) guard Elliot Cadeau (3) guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (11) and center Aday Mara. — Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Aday Mara and Morez Johnson will create issues for Duke, while Yaxel Lendeborg has been hitting his shot — which can create more issues for the Blue Devils. If the Wolverines continue to get solid guard play from their bench, it's hard to see Michigan lose.

Look for this game to come down to the wire, but Michigan's experience prevails.

Final score: Michigan 88, Duke 84

Game Notes

Michigan returns to Washington, D.C., for the first time since 2021, when No. 6 U-M defeated Prairie View A&M 77-49 in the Coaches vs. Racism matchup.

The Wolverines' last game in downtown D.C. came during the 2017 Big Ten Tournament title run at the Verizon Center (now Capital One Arena), when the No. 8 seed won four games in four days after the team plane slid off the runway en route to the nation's capital.

Michigan (2-2) makes its fifth ESPN College GameDay appearance — previously hosting twice (2012, 2015) and appearing twice on the road (2013, 2014). This will be its first at a neutral site.

Michigan meets Duke for the first time since Dec. 3, 2013 -- a span of 12 years, two months and 18 days (4,463 days). In that ACC/Big Ten Challenge game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, No. 10 Duke defeated No. 22 Michigan 79-69.

U-M's last win over Duke came on Dec. 6, 2008 — 17 years, two months and 15 days (6,283 days). After falling in the 2K Sports Classic semifinal at Madison Square Garden, the Wolverines upset the fourth-ranked Blue Devils 73-71 in Ann Arbor less than two weeks later.

At 25-1, Michigan is producing one of the most dominant seasons in program history: 21 wins by 10+ points, 13 by 20+, 10 by 30+, seven by 40+ (Big Ten record) and one by 50+.