Michigan Vs Duke: michigan vs duke — Cameron Boozer, No. 3 Duke knock off No. 1 Michigan

In a high-profile michigan vs duke neutral-site game in Washington, Cameron Boozer scored 18 points as No. 3 Duke defeated No. 1 Michigan in a showdown at Capital One Arena. The contest was described both in a short summary as a 70-63 win that gave Duke its 11th all-time victory over an No. 1 team (1: 30) and in the game story as a 68-63 final.

Michigan Vs Duke game recap

The Blue Devils handed another neutral-site loss to Michigan in a raucous matchup in the nation’s capital. Cameron Boozer, with his father Carlos Boozer — the former Duke and NBA star — in attendance, hit a 3-pointer with 1: 55 left that put Duke up 64-58. Isaiah Evans added 14 points for Duke, and the story lists Duke winning 68-63. One brief summary cited a 70-63 final that marked Duke’s 11th victory all time over an No. 1 team and ran 1: 30 in length.

Yaxel Lendeborg scored 21 points for Michigan, which had not lost since a three-point home defeat to Wisconsin on Jan. 10. The game narrative noted that Duke won the rebounding battle 41-28 while Michigan shot 6-of-25 from 3-point range and settled for too many one-and-done perimeter attempts. Caleb Foster scored 12 and Patrick Ngongba II added 11 as Duke found soft spots against Michigan’s top-rated defense.

Key players and stats

Cameron Boozer finished with 18 points. Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 21 for the Wolverines. Isaiah Evans had 14 for Duke. Caleb Foster scored 12, and Patrick Ngongba II added 11. Duke won rebounding 41-28 and Michigan was 6-of-25 from three-point range. Earlier in the first half, Ngongba was fouled while fighting for a rebound with 0. 8 seconds left and made both free throws to give Duke a 35-33 lead at the break.

Coaches' reactions and context

Duke coach Jon Scheyer said, "That was a game that didn't feel like it was played in February, " adding that it felt like a March or April game and that he had a ton of respect for Michigan and its staff. Michigan coach Dusty May reflected on the matchup's value for his team: he said scheduling a game like this leaves uncertainty about preparation and appearance, but the team will be better because of it. May said, "We didn't rebound the way we needed to, and we made some timely errors, and when you're playing someone like Duke, they make you pay for every mistake. And they did that tonight. "

Pregame records, rankings and history

Before the game, Michigan was listed at 25-1 and Duke at 24-3 for the matchup that was to tip at 6: 30 p. m. ET. After the contest both programs were described with 25-2 records in the game story. The Wolverines had won 11 straight and had replaced Arizona atop the Top 25 poll that week; the now-fourth-ranked Wildcats won at No. 2 Houston earlier the same day, creating the first instance since Feb. 8, 2025, that the teams ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the poll lost on the same day.

These programs met for the first time in 12 years in this game. The series record was noted as Duke improving to 23-8 against Michigan and 7-0 on neutral courts, a series that includes the 1992 national title game. Michigan's last victory over Duke was listed as Dec. 6, 2009, in Ann Arbor. The teams had previously met on Dec. 3, 2013 in an ACC/Big Ten Challenge game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, a span described as 12 years, two months and 18 days (4, 463 days), when No. 10 Duke beat No. 22 Michigan 79-69. Michigan's last win over Duke had been recorded on Dec. 6, 2008 — 17 years, two months and 15 days (6, 283 days) earlier — when, after a semifinal loss in the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden, Michigan upset the fourth-ranked Blue Devils 73-71 in Ann Arbor less than two weeks later.

Michigan season detail and bench production

Michigan’s season figures were detailed extensively: at 25-1 it was cited as producing one of the program’s most dominant seasons, with 21 wins by 10 or more points, 13 by 20 or more, 10 by 30 or more, seven by 40 or more (a Big Ten record) and one by 50-plus. After an initial 14-0 start was snapped, Michigan had won 11 straight, including six road victories and three top-10 wins: No. 5 Nebraska 75-72, at No. 7 Michigan State 83-71, and at No. 7 Purdue 91-80.

Michigan’s described "Big Three" consisted of Yaxel Lendeborg (14. 4 ppg, 7. 5 rpg), Morez Johnson Jr. (13. 5 ppg, 7. 3 rpg) and Aday Mara (11. 2 ppg, 7. 1 rpg), accounting for over 45 percent of scoring and more than 55 percent of rebounding. Mara was listed with 71 blocks (2. 73 bpg), recording at least one block in every game and ranking third nationally with 22 multi-block games, including a career-high six against Penn State. Over his last four games Mara added 16 assists (4. 0 apg), including a career-best seven at Northwestern. L. J. Cason was noted for moving into four double-figure games in his last five after six in his first 20 contests, shooting 58. 8 percent from the field and going 9-for-27 from three over that span, and Trey McKenney was described as a thriving sixth man with 18 double-figure games, a team-best 90. 5 percent at the free-throw line (15 consecutive), and 43 three-pointers.

Atmosphere, event and ticketing

Fans traded chants of "Let's go Duke!" and "Let's go Blue!" for the rare must-see matchup in a city described as starved for meaningful basketball. A national pregame show was broadcast from inside the arena during the teams' morning shootaround. Tickets for upper-level seats were noted as selling in the $600 range in the hours before the game, with courtside seats described as upwards of $6, 000. The game was played at Capital One Arena and was presented as part of the Edward Jones Capital Showcase event.

All of the above elements — the scorelines cited, Cameron Boozer’s 18 points, Isaiah Evans’ 14, Yaxel Lendeborg’s 21, the rebounding margin, the free-throw sequence at the half, the coaches’ quotes, the historical series marks and the detailed Michigan season statistics — were recorded in the coverage of the match.

Closing: The michigan vs duke meeting in Washington produced a headline upset, with Cameron Boozer and a balanced Duke effort handing the top-ranked Wolverines a neutral-site defeat and prompting reflection from both coaches on what the game revealed about their teams.