WASHINGTON — Cameron Boozer scored 18 points, and No. 3 Duke handed another neutral-site loss to fellow blueblood Michigan, knocking off the top-ranked Wolverines 68-63 on Saturday night in a raucous possible Final Four preview in the nation’s capital.
The Wolverines had won 11 straight games and replaced Arizona atop the AP Top 25 poll this week. The now-fourth-ranked Wildcats won at No. 2 Houston earlier Saturday, making it the first time since Feb. 8, 2025, that the teams ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the poll lost on the same day.
With his dad, former Duke and NBA star Carlos Boozer, in attendance, Cameron Boozer hit a 3-pointer with 1:55 left to give the Blue Devils a 64-58 lead. Isaiah Evans added 14 points for the Blue Devils (25-2), who could return to Capital One Arena in just over a month for the East Regional of the NCAA tournament.
“That was a game that didn’t feel like it was played in February,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “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.”
In the programs’ first meeting in 12 years, Duke improved to 23-8 against Michigan and 7-0 on neutral courts, a series that includes the 1992 national title game. Michigan hasn’t beaten Duke since Dec. 6, 2009, in Ann Arbor.
Yaxel Lendeborg scored 21 points for the Wolverines (25-2), who had not lost since a home defeat by three points to Wisconsin on Jan. 10.
Though second-year coach Dusty May’s Michigan squad has been hailed for unselfishness, Scheyer’s Blue Devils showed more versatility on offense. Caleb Foster scored 12 points, and Patrick Ngongba II added 11 as Duke found soft spots in the Wolverines’ top-rated defense.
Meanwhile, Duke won the rebounding battle 41-28 as Michigan settled for too many one-and-done perimeter shots, going 6-of-25 from 3-point range.
“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.”
Fans traded chants of “Let’s go Duke!” and “Let’s go Blue!” for the rare must-see matchup in a city starved for meaningful basketball. ESPN’s “College GameDay” was broadcast from inside the arena during the teams’ morning shootaround, and tickets for upper-level seats were selling in the $600 range in the hours before the game, with courtside seats upwards of $6,000.
Defense had the upper hand in a spirited, physical first half in which neither team led by more than five points. Ngongba was fouled while fighting for a rebound with 0.8 seconds left and made both free throws to give the Blue Devils a 35-33 lead at the break.
Surprisingly, Duke never trailed again.
“This game helped us understand what a tournament environment is all about,” Scheyer said. “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.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
