Duke and Michigan may have met in February, but the game looked and sounded like late March.

No. 3 Duke beat No. 1 Michigan 68-63 on Saturday night at Capital One Arena in the Edward Jones Capital Showcase, handing the Wolverines their first loss since Jan. 10 and ending an 11 game winning streak. Cameron Boozer led Duke with 18 points, and the Blue Devils improved to 25-2. Michigan also moved to 25-2 with the loss.

The matchup had the feel of a tournament game before tipoff and played out that way from the opening possession. Duke coach Jon Scheyer said afterward, “That was a game that didn’t feel like it was played in February. That felt like a March or April game. Obviously, we have a ton of respect for Michigan, the staff, and how good they are. And I thought it just was a big-time game where our guys were ready to compete at a high level.”

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Duke took a 35-33 lead into halftime and never trailed in the second half. The Blue Devils closed the first half with a small but important sequence when Patrick Ngongba II was fouled fighting for a rebound with 0.8 seconds left and made both free throws. The second half stayed tight, but Duke kept control late behind Boozer and a defense that limited Michigan’s perimeter success.

The game’s biggest late shot came from Boozer. With 1:55 remaining, he hit a 3 pointer that pushed Duke’s lead to 64-58. The basket gave Duke breathing room in a game where possessions were limited and both teams defended hard. Isaiah Evans added 14 points for the Blue Devils, while Caleb Foster scored 12 and Ngongba finished with 11.

Michigan got 21 points from Yaxel Lendeborg, but the Wolverines could not consistently find second chances or enough perimeter rhythm. Duke won the rebounding battle 41-28, and Michigan finished 6-of-25 from 3 point range. That combination was a major factor in a five point game. Duke’s size and rebounding edge also helped keep Michigan from building momentum after stops.

Michigan coach Dusty May pointed to those issues directly after the game. “When you schedule a game like this, you don’t know what it’s going to look like after the fact, and even the preparation leading up to it. We know more about our team now. We’ll be better because of this game and overall,” 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.”

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The win also added another historical note for Duke. It was the programs’ first meeting in 12 years, and Duke improved to 23-8 in the all time series against Michigan, including 7-0 on neutral courts. Michigan has not beaten Duke since Dec. 6, 2009, in Ann Arbor.

Saturday’s result also landed in a bigger national picture. Michigan had just moved to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 this week after Arizona previously held the top spot. Arizona, now No. 4, beat No. 2 Houston earlier in the day, which meant both teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2 lost on the same day for the first time since Feb. 8, 2025.

For Duke, the result strengthens its position heading into the final stretch before Selection Sunday and keeps open the possibility of returning to Washington for the East Regional in the NCAA tournament. Scheyer said the game served another purpose beyond the win itself: “This game helped us understand what a tournament environment is all about. I’m thankful for this, just this whole event, because I think it really simulates what it’s going to be. And whether we have an opportunity to play in Washington or not, this helped us a lot.”

For Michigan, the loss does not erase what it built during the 11 game run, but it does reset the conversation around a team that had just climbed to the top line of the rankings. For Duke, it was a road test in a neutral building, against the No. 1 team in the country, and the Blue Devils passed it with Boozer leading the way.

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