Michigan Vs Duke: Top-Ranked Wolverines Head to Capital One Arena for High-Profile Clash

Emerson Raymont

Published: February 22, 2026 1:31 PM ET

michigan vs duke headlines the Edward Jones Capital Showcase in Washington, D. C., where No. 1 Michigan (25-1) meets No. 3 Duke (24-3) with tipoff set for 6: 30 p. m. ET on and both teams featured on 's College GameDay.

Tipoff, TV and College GameDay plans for the matchup

The game will be played at Capital One Arena as part of the Edward Jones Capital Showcase presented by Bad Boy Mowers, with the broadcast team of Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Kris Budden on the call and 's College GameDay set to feature both teams ahead of tipoff at 6: 30 p. m. ET.

Michigan's recent trip history and return to D. C.

Michigan returns to Washington, D. C., for the first time since 2021, when No. 6 U-M beat Prairie View A& M 77-49 in the Coaches vs. Racism matchup, and the Wolverines last played downtown D. C. 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 Vs Duke at Capital One Arena

Michigan meets Duke for the first time since Dec. 3, 2013 — a span of 4, 463 days — when No. 10 Duke defeated No. 22 Michigan 79-69 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. U-M's last win over Duke was Dec. 6, 2008, a 73-71 upset of the fourth-ranked Blue Devils in Ann Arbor, coming less than two weeks after a loss in the 2K Sports Classic semifinal at Madison Square Garden; that win occurred 6, 283 days before this matchup.

How Michigan has performed this season

At 25-1, Michigan has piled up dominant results: 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 a 14-0 start was snapped, Michigan has won 11 straight, including six road victories and three top-10 wins — a 75-72 victory over No. 5 Nebraska, an 83-71 win at No. 7 Michigan State and a 91-80 victory at No. 7 Purdue.

Key Michigan players and numbers to watch

Michigan's "Big Three" — 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) — account for over 45 percent of the team's scoring and more than 55 percent of its rebounding. Mara has 71 blocks (2. 73 bpg) with at least one block in every game, ranks third nationally with 22 multi-block games and had a career-high six blocks vs. Penn State. Over his last four games Mara has added 16 assists (4. 0 apg), including a career-best seven at Northwestern.

Bench production and recent form

L. J. Cason has four double-figure games in his last five after six in his first 20 contests, with a career-best 18 at Northwestern while shooting 58. 8 percent from the field and 9-for-27 from three over that span. Sixth-man Trey McKenney has 18 double-figure games, shoots a team-best 90. 5 percent at the free-throw line with 15 consecutive makes, and has 43 three-pointers.

The game is scheduled for 6: 30 p. m. ET on, with College GameDay on-site and the broadcast team of Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Kris Budden, and the next confirmed public milestone is tipoff at Capital One Arena.