Duke knocks off top-ranked Michigan in neutral-site showdown

Cameron Boozer scored 18 points and No. 3 Duke handed another neutral-site defeat to fellow Michigan Blueblood, eliminating the top-ranked Wolverines 68-63 Saturday night in a possible raucous Final Four preview in the nation’s capital. The Wolverines had won 11 straight and replaced Arizona atop the AP Top 25 this week. The Wildcats, now fourth, won at No. 2 in Houston earlier Saturday, making it the first time since Feb. 8, 2025 that teams ranked No. 1 and 2 in the poll have lost on the same day. With his father, former Duke and NBA star Carlos Boozer in attendance, Cameron Boozer made 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 a little more than a month for the East Region of the NCAA Tournament. In the programs’ first meeting in 12 years, Duke improved to 23-8 against Michigan and 7-0 on neutral court, a series that includes the 1992 national title game. Michigan has not beaten Duke since Dec. 6, 2009, in Ann Arbor. Yaxel Lendeborg scored 21 points for the Wolverines (25-2), who hadn’t lost since a three-point home loss to Wisconsin on Jan. 10. While the Michigan team led by second-year coach Dusty May was praised for its unselfishness, Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils showed more versatility on the offensive end. Caleb Foster scored 12 points and Patrick Ngongba II added 11 as Duke found weak spots in the Wolverines’ top-scoring defense. Meanwhile, Duke won the rebounding battle 41-28 as Michigan settled for too many single perimeter shots, going 6 of 25 from 3-point range. Fans exchanged chants of “Let’s go Duke!” ” and “Let’s go blue!” for the rare must-win game in a city starved for meaningful basketball. ESPN’s “College GameDay” broadcast was broadcast from inside the arena during the teams’ morning shootout, and tickets for upper-tier seats were selling in the $600 range in the hours leading up to the game, with fieldside seats topping $6,000. The defense had the upper hand in a lively and physical first half in which neither team led by more than five points. Ngongba fouled out 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. Associated Press reporting.