Michigan Vs Duke: michigan vs duke — What we learned from the 68-63 game
The non-conference matchup michigan vs duke ended with No. 3 Duke beating No. 1 Michigan 68-63, a result with immediate seeding and regional implications. Freshman Cameron Boozer led the Blue Devils with 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in a game decided down the stretch.
Boozer’s impact and foul trouble
Cameron Boozer, the freshman who is the massive favorite for the Wooden Award, finished 6-of-10 from the field, played a team-high 34 minutes and produced 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. He had to sit out part of the second half after picking up his fourth foul, but still took over in the second half as Duke absorbed Michigan’s frontcourt size. It was Boozer’s 19th game in Duke’s last 21 in which he shot at least 50% from the field. After the final buzzer Boozer said, "I love games like this. Our team loves it, you can see them celebrating back there. "
Michigan Vs Duke late sequence
The final minute swung away from Michigan when Patrick Ngongba missed a shot in the lane inside 30 seconds to go. Duke secured the rebound, moved the ball around the perimeter and Michigan finally committed a foul with 14. 6 seconds remaining. That foul was on Isaiah Evans, an 88% free throw shooter, and his made free throws created a two-possession margin that effectively ended Michigan’s chance at a tying 3-pointer.
Michigan frontcourt foul story
Yaxel Lendeborg got Michigan off to a hot start with 16 first-half points, but the Wolverines were hampered by Aday Mara’s foul trouble. Mara went to the bench after picking up his second foul early in the first half; coach Dusty May put him back into the game before halftime. Less than a minute after his return Mara picked up his third foul and sat for the final eight minutes of the half. He finished with 22 minutes played, 10 points and four rebounds. Michigan was +4 with Mara on the court; he had the best plus-minus of any Michigan player and only two other Michigan players, Elliot Cadeau and Will Tschetter, were above zero in that category.
Shooting, statistics and historic note
Michigan shot 22-of-55 from the field and struggled from long range, making just 6-of-25 3-pointers. The Wolverines had come into the game shooting 51% overall and 36% from behind the arc. The defeat marked Duke’s 11th victory over a team ranked No. 1 in the Top 25 in school history.
Seeding and regional implications
Saturday’s game in Washington D. C. at Capital One Arena came hours after the NCAA tournament selection committee’s first midseason seeding reveal, which listed Michigan as the No. 1 overall seed and Duke as the No. 2 overall seed in its early top 16. With Duke’s victory it is now easy to see how those positions could flip-flop. The arena was also noted as the site of the East regional in the 2026 NCAA tournament, and Saturday’s win could put the Blue Devils on a path back to the Sweet 16 in Washington D. C., since the top overall seed receives its preferred region.
Remaining schedules and stakes
The Blue Devils still face games against No. 14 Virginia and No. 16 North Carolina before the ACC tournament. A win over Virginia on Feb. 28 would likely lock up the regular-season conference title for Duke, assuming it also takes care of business against both Notre Dame and NC State. Michigan sits with a two-game lead in the Big Ten over Illinois and a three-game lead over Nebraska and Purdue. Michigan has games remaining against the No. 10 Illini and No. 15 Michigan State; the context notes that convincing wins over both are relevant but the sentence about those scenarios is incomplete and unclear in the provided context.
Final score: Duke 68, Michigan 63.
