Will Duke be the new No. 1 team in the AP Top 25?
Freshman Cameron Boozer shined once again as the No. 3 Blue Devils beat No. 1 Michigan 68-63 behind his 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Michigan had a chance to get the game tied with a 3-pointer after Patrick Ngongba missed a shot in the lane inside 30 seconds to go. But Duke got the rebound and passed the ball around the perimeter before Michigan finally fouled with 14.6 seconds to go.
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But Michigan fouled Isaiah Evans, an 88% free throw shooter. He made it a two-possession game and effectively ended any chance Michigan had of getting the win.
The victory is Duke’s 11th over a team ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 in school history.
“I love games like this. Our team loves it, you can see them celebrating back there,” Boozer told ESPN after the game.
He had to sit out part of the second half after picking up his fourth foul, but he was the best player on the court even as Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg got off to a hot start with 16 points in the first half. Even though he was on the bench after that fourth foul, Boozer still played a team-high 34 minutes.
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Boozer, the massive favorite for the Wooden Award, took over in the second half as Duke was unfazed by Michigan’s frontcourt size. He finished 6-of-10 from the field. It was Boozer’s 19th game in Duke’s last 21 that he shot at least 50% from the field.
Aday Mara’s foul trouble and Michigan’s shooting woes
As Lendeborg singlehandedly powered Michigan at the start of the game, the Wolverines didn’t have big man Aday Mara for much of the first half. Mara went to the bench after picking up his second foul early in the first half but coach Dusty May put him back into the game before halftime.
The move backfired. Less than a minute after he returned to the court, Mara picked up his third foul and sat for the final eight minutes of the half. He played just 22 minutes but scored 10 points and had four rebounds.
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Michigan was +4 with Mara on the court. He had the best plus-minus of any Michigan player and only two other players — Elliot Cadeau and Will Tschetter — were above zero in that category.
The Wolverines also struggled to make a 3-point shot. Michigan was just 22-of-55 from the field and 6-of-25 from behind the arc. Michigan entered the game shooting 51% overall and 36% from behind the arc.
A big win for NCAA tournament seeding
Saturday’s game came hours after the NCAA tournament selection committee’s first midseason seeding reveal. As the committee released its early top 16, Michigan was the No. 1 overall seed and Duke was the No. 2 overall seed.
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It’s now easy to see how the teams will probably flip-flop after the Blue Devils’ win. The non-conference game was held at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., an arena that is not so coincidentally the site of the East regional in the 2026 NCAA tournament.
Saturday’s win could end up getting the Blue Devils on the path to the Sweet 16 in Washington D.C. again. Remember, the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament gets its preferred region.
There’s still plenty of season to go, however. The Blue Devils have games against No. 14 Virginia and No. 16 North Carolina remaining before the ACC tournament. A win over Virginia on Feb. 28 will likely lock up the regular-season conference title for Duke, assuming it takes care of business against both Notre Dame and NC State.
Michigan, meanwhile, has a two-game lead in the Big Ten over Illinois and a three-game lead over Nebraska and Purdue. With games remaining against the No. 10 Illini and No. 15 Michigan State, convincing wins over both teams along with a Big Ten tournament victory can still get Michigan back to the No. 1 overall seed if Duke slips up.
Live coverage is over28 updatesSat, February 21, 2026 at 3:33 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 6:03 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Here’s the closing sequence of the game (and no, that dunk at the end didn’t count)
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 5:52 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
With No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Houston going down today, it’s likely No. 3 Duke will leap ahead to the top spot in the AP Top 25.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 5:46 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Duke hangs on to take down No. 1 Michigan in a massive win.
Cam Boozer led the way with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 5:44 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Michigan needed to get a stop to have a chance to tie, but Duke corralled a key offensive rebound and now the Wolverines are forced to foul and play the free throw game.
Duke up 68-63 with 15 seconds to play.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 5:36 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Michigan went on a 7-0 run to close the Duke lead to 57-56 with under 4 minutes.
Can the Wolverines rally all the way back?
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 5:23 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Plenty of sports stars from the DC area showed up for Michigan vs. Duke.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 5:18 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Wolverines are just 4 of 17 from the field in the second half and they haven’t made a bucket in nearly 4 minutes.
Duke leads 53-48 with 7:47 to play
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 5:12 PM PST
Nick Bromberg
The Wolverines have been out of sorts lately — and it’s why Duke has its biggest lead of the game.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 5:02 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Boozer now has 11 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 4:56 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The scoring has slowed down a bit in the early minutes of the second half, but Cam Boozer is still making plays for Duke.
Blue Devils lead 41-38.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 4:46 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The final half has begun. Who will prevail in this one?
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 4:45 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Duke fans made the trip and filled out Capital One Arena for this one.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 4:33 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Cameron Boozer is doing it all for Duke, with a team-high 9 points to go with 3 rebounds and 4 assists.
Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg leads all scorers with 16 points on 6 of 9 shooting.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 4:28 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
A silly foul by Michigan in the final second put Duke’s Patrick Ngongba II on the line, and he hit both free throws to give the Blue Devils the slight lead at the break.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 4:23 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Johnson hung in the air before throwing this one down for Michigan.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 4:19 PM PST
Nick Bromberg
Not only is Mara on the bench with three fouls, so is Elliot Cadeau. He sustained a left forearm/elbow injury and his arm is currently wrapped as he has gotten treatment from trainers.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 4:09 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Mara, Michigan’s starting center, committed his third foul at the 7:08 mark of the first half. He’ll likely have to sit most of, if not all, the rest of the half.
We’re tied at 26-26.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 4:03 PM PST
Nick Bromberg
He’s been incredible so far — and has been keeping Michigan in this game.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 3:57 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Despite a hot start from Michigan, the Blue Devils have responded well and head into the under-12 timeout with a 22-21 lead. Caleb Foster leads the way with 8 points.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 3:50 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Wolverines have hit 8 of 10 shots so far, including Yaxel Lendeborg’s 5 for 5 showing with 12 points.