No. 3 Duke Confronts Top-Ranked Michigan in Nation's Capital

Saturday, February 21

Washington, D.C.

6:30 p.m.

Duke University

Michigan

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Cameron Boozer and Patrick Ngongba II - 2025-26 Duke Men's Basketball

Photo by: Duke Athletics

No. 3 Duke Confronts Top-Ranked Michigan in Nation's Capital

2/20/2026 1:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

The Opening Tip

A clash between No. 3 Duke and No. 1 Michigan at Capital One Arena in the nation's capital on Saturday on ESPN.
Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Kris Budden will call the action on ESPN. David Shumate and John Roth team up for the broadcast on the Blue Devil Sports Network.
Duke leads the series with Michigan, 22-8, including a 6-0 record in neutral site contests.
Duke (2) and Michigan (1) are the top two teams in the NET rankings and are tied among the national leaders with 10 Quad-1 wins each. (Feb. 18)
Duke has secured eight top-25 victories with wins over No. 7 Michigan State, No. 15 Florida, No. 20 Louisville (twice), No. 20 Clemson, No. 22 Arkansas, No. 24 SMU and No. 25 Kansas.
Duke has played 32 opponents ranked No. 1, earning 10 victories in those matchups.
The Blue Devils have won two of their last three meetings against No. 1-ranked teams.
Duke is one of just two teams ranked in the top-seven nationally in both offensive efficiency (126.1, 7th) and defensive efficiency (89.5, 2nd) ratings. (KenPom) Michigan is the other team.
The Blue Devils lead the ACC and are fifth nationally in scoring margin (+19.8).
Duke tops the conference and ranks eighth in the country in rebounding margin (+9.8).
The Blue Devils rank third in the nation and first in the ACC in scoring defense (63.2 ppg).
Cameron Boozer is the nation's fifth-leading scorer with an ACC-high 22.8 points per game, and tops the ACC in rebounding (10.0 rpg), is seventh in steals (1.7 spg), 13th in assists (3.9 apg) and fourth in field goal percentage (.582).
Boozer has recorded at least 14 points, five rebounds and two assists in all 26 games this season, the longest such streak by any player (men's or women's) at any point in a Division I career this century. (OptaSTATS)
Isaiah Evans ranks second in the ACC in free-throw percentage (.880), and is the ACC's 10th-leading scorer in conference play, averaging 17.1 points per league game.
Boozer and Evans are the first Duke teammates to each have 350+ points in the team's first 25 games of a season since Tre Jones and Vernon Carey Jr. in 2019-20. (Stats Perform)
Duke owns the best record in Division I college basketball over the past two seasons at 59-6.
Since Thanksgiving 2024, the Blue Devils have achieved a record of 55-4 (.932).
On Dec. 16, Jon Scheyer broke the ACC record for the fastest coach to 100 wins (122 games), exceeding the standard set by Duke's Vic Bubas in 1964 (128 games).
The Blue Devils are the second-tallest team in the country with an average height of 79.4 inches. Michigan is 30th at 78.6 inches. (KenPom)
Duke is coming off its 18th Final Four appearance, 23rd ACC Tournament title and 21st ACC regular-season championship, finishing with a 35-4 overall record last season.

About the Michigan Wolverines

Duke and Michigan have met 30 times, with the Blue Devils leading, 22-8, including a 6-0 record in neutral site contests.
Duke has won three straight and 10 of the last 11 meetings against the Wolverines.
There have been three clashes between the Blue Devils and Wolverines in the NCAA Tournament - all Duke triumphs, including the 1964 national semifinal and the 1992 national championship game in Minneapolis.
Michigan ranks second in the nation in scoring margin (+21.8) and fourth in scoring offense (90.6 ppg).
The Wolverines are second nationally in field goal percentage defense (37.1%) and eighth in field goal percentage (51.4%).
Michigan is third in the country with 19.5 assists per contest and fourth with 6.1 blocks per game.
Six Wolverines score more than 9.0 points per game, topped by Yaxel Lendegorg with a 14.4 scoring average, along with a team-high 7.5 rebounds per outing.
Aday Mara is the nation's fifth-leading shot blocker with 71 swats (2.7 bpg), while Morez Johnson Jr. ranks fourth in the country with a field goal percentage of 67.0%.

On This Date - Feb. 21

Duke is 20-9 overall on Feb. 21, having won eight straight on this date since 1993.
This will be the first meeting between the Blue Devils and Wolverines on Feb. 21.
Duke has not played a neutral site contest on this date, but the Blue Devils have an 8-5 record away from Durham on Feb. 21, including four consecutive wins.
Duke is 3-0 against ranked opponents on this date.

Last Time Out

No. 3 Duke scored 61 points in the second half, defeating Syracuse 101-64 on Monday, Feb. 16.
The Blue Devils dished 21 assists, while only committing a season-low four turnovers, and eclipsed 100 points for the fourth time this season.
Cameron Boozer posted a 22-point, 12-rebound, double-double to lead all players in points and boards. Four other Blue Devils joined Boozer in double-figures, with Isaiah Evans scoring 21 points, Nikolas Khamenia matching his career high with 14, and the duo of Cayden Boozer and Patrick Ngongba II both scoring 12. Maliq Brown led all players in assists with five, and contributed across the stat sheet with six points, three rebounds and two steals.
As a team, Duke scored 52 points in the paint, the highest point total in the category against a Power Five team this season.
Duke has won 30 consecutive home games, including 17 straight against conference opponents at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke shot 38-of-61 (.623) from the field, its best shooting performance of the season.
The Blue Devils exploded for 61 points following intermission, their fourth game this season with at least 50 points in the second half and second with at least 60.
The Blue Devils shot 23-of-32 (.719) from the field in the second frame, setting a new season benchmark for field goal percentage in the second half.
After missing the first shot of the second half, Duke reeled off 13 consecutive made field goals across nearly 10 minutes of action.
The 101 points are the most scored against a conference foe this season and the most by Duke in a game against Syracuse. Duke has scored in triple digits four times this season.
Duke dished 21 assists with only four turnovers, for a 5.25 assist-turnover ratio. The four turnovers are a season-low for Duke.
The Orange entered Monday's game averaging 76.5 points per game, but were held to 64, 12.5 below their season average. Duke's defense has held all but two of its 26 opponents below their scoring average.
Entering Monday night, Duke topped the ACC and ranked ninth nationally for rebounding margin (9.8). The Blue Devils outrebounded the Orange by 10 (39-29) and have finished with a positive margin on the glass in 22 games this season. Duke has finished with a double-digit margin on the glass in 13 games this season.

Duke Against No. 1-Ranked Opponents

Duke has played 32 opponents ranked No. 1 in program history, earning 10 victories in those matchups.
The Blue Devils have won two of their last three meetings against the top-ranked programs in the nation, defeating Gonzaga, 84-81, on Nov. 26, 2021, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and knocking off Syracuse, 66-60, on Feb. 22, 2014, at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke was ranked No. 5 in both of those contests.
The Blue Devils have secured victories in six of their last 11 meetings against No. 1-ranked opponents, dating back to a 63-53 triumph over Temple on March 26, 1988, during the NCAA Tournament in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Duke has won two clashes against No. 1 teams when the Blue Devils were not ranked in the top-10 - beating North Carolina, 77-75, on March 10, 1984, at the ACC Tournament in Greensboro (Duke No. 16), and defeating West Virginia, 72-68, on Jan. 27, 1958, at Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke unranked).
The Blue Devils have won five consecutive meetings against top-ranked teams when Duke is ranked in the top five, dating back to the 1987-88 season.
This will be the third time Duke faces Michigan with the Wolverines ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press top-25 poll. Both prior matchups were played on Dec. 5, at Cameron Indoor Stadium with the Blue Devils also ranked in the top-5. In 1992, No. 4 Duke defeated top-ranked Michigan, 79-68, and in 1964, No. 1 Michigan topped No. 5 Duke, 86-79.

Blue Devils Efficient at Both Ends of the Floor

Duke is one of only two teams ranked in the top-seven nationally in both offensive efficiency (121.1, 7th) and defensive efficiency (89.5, 2nd) ratings, according to KenPom.com. The other team is Michigan (127.6 offense, 4th / 88.3 defense, 1st).
The Blue Devils are the nation's No. 2-rated team, according to KenPom, with an overall rating of 36.64. Michigan is No. 1 at 39.28. (through games played on Feb. 18)
The 2024-25 Blue Devils achieved the best offensive efficiency rating (130.1) in the history of KenPom (since 1996-97 season).
In 2024-25, Duke registered the second-highest overall rating (39.29) in KenPom history, trailing only the 1998-99 Duke Blue Devils (43.01).
Last season, Duke was the only team in the country ranked among the top-five in both offensive (130.1, 1st) and defensive (90.8, 5th) adjusted efficiency (KenPom).
Duke has boasted a top-20 defense in all four seasons under head coach Jon Scheyer: 16th (93.9) in 2022-23; 16th (95.2) in 2023-24; 5th (90.8) in 2024-25; and currently 2nd (89.5) in 2025-26.

Tracking Blue Devil Deflections

Through 26 games, the Blue Devils have accumulated 467 deflections, an average of 18.0 per game.
Duke amassed a season-best 32 deflections versus Niagara (Nov. 21), topping the previous high of 30 against Indiana State (Nov. 14).
Maliq Brown, described as a "defensive menace" by head coach Jon Scheyer, tops Duke with 140 deflections (5.4 avg.).
Brown, who was selected to the 2023-24 ACC All-Defensive Team after leading the league with 71 steals as a sophomore at Syracuse, recorded 12 deflections against Niagara (Nov. 21), the most by a Blue Devil this season.
Brown has the best steal percentage (4.91%) in the ACC and ranks ninth nationally (second among major conferences), according to KenPom (percentage of possessions a player records a steal while on the court).
Brown joined teammate Cameron Boozer as one of 25 players selected to the 2025-26 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award watch list, announced Jan. 29.

Cleaning the Glass

Duke tops the conference and ranks eighth in the country in rebounding margin (+9.8), outrebounding its opposition by an average of 39.6 to 29.7 boards per game.
The Blue Devils have outrebounded their opponent in 22 games this season.
Duke has outrebounded six opponents by 20 or more boards, including a season-best rebound margin of +34 (55-21) against Lipscomb and a +21 (47-26) versus Louisville.
Duke has limited three opponents to two points or less in second-chance points, including a pair of shutouts (Lipscomb, Georgia Tech).

Strength of Schedule

Duke has secured eight top-25 victories with wins over No. 7 Michigan State, No. 15 Florida, No. 20 Louisville (twice), No. 20 Clemson, No. 22 Arkansas, No. 24 SMU and No. 25 Kansas.
Duke has played 12 Quad-1 games, based on the NCAA's NET rankings (Feb. 18), with a 10-2 record in those contests. The Blue Devils' 10 Quad-1 wins are tied for the most in the country.
Eight ACC teams are among the top 40 of the NCAA's NET rankings (as of Feb. 18). Duke (2), Louisville (14), Virginia (16) and NC State (25) rank among the top 25.
Four ACC teams are ranked in the latest Associated Press top-25 poll (Feb. 16): No. 3 Duke, No. 14 Virginia, No. 16 North Carolina and No. 21 Louisville.
Duke's 2025-26 non-conference lineup features eight opponents that reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago: Texas (Nov. 4; Charlotte, N.C.), Kansas (Nov. 18; New York, N.Y.), Arkansas (Nov. 27; Chicago), Florida (Dec. 2; Durham), Michigan State (Dec. 6; East Lansing, Mich.), Lipscomb (Dec. 16; Durham), Texas Tech (Dec. 20; New York, N.Y.) and Michigan (Feb. 21; Washington, D.C.). Of those teams, five advanced to the Sweet 16, with three reaching the Elite Eight.

Nearly 75% Winning Percentage in NBA Arenas

Duke is a combined 106-36 (.746) all-time in 13 current NBA venues.
The Blue Devils have won 36 of their last 46 at NBA venues, including a 3-1 record this year and a 4-1 mark last season.
Duke has a 15-7 (.682) record in NBA facilities under head coach Jon Scheyer, including an 12-4 (.750) ledger in the past three seasons.
During the 2025-26 campaign, the Blue Devils play five regular-season contests at NBA venues - Spectrum Center (Charlotte Hornets) on Nov. 4 vs. Texas, Madison Square Garden (New York Knicks) on Nov. 18 vs. Kansas and Dec. 20 vs. Texas Tech, United Center (Chicago Bulls) on Nov. 27 vs. Arkansas, and Capital One Arena (Washington Wizards) on Feb. 21 vs. Michigan.
The ACC Tournament returns to the Spectrum Center, home of the Charlotte Hornets, on March 10-14, 2026.

Cameron Boozer's Historic Campaign

Cameron Boozer is the first Duke freshman to score 35 points or more twice - amassing 35 points versus Indiana State (Nov. 14) and tallying 35 points again versus Arkansas (Nov. 27).
The freshman forward became the first NCAA Division I or NBA player in the last 30 seasons to have an eight-game span with more than 175 points, 75 rebounds and 25 assists, 10 or fewer turnovers, and an undefeated record - doing so in Duke's first eight games. (OptaSTATS)
Boozer became the first ACC player with at least 100 points, 50 rebounds and 20 assists in a five-game span since Craig Smith of Boston College in March 2006. The freshman forward accomplished that standard in his first five college contests. (Nov. 19)
Boozer is the only Division I player in the last 30 seasons to collect at least 250 points, 100 rebounds and 40 assists through his first 11 career games. (Dec. 17; OptaSTATS)
Boozer amassed 35 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks, connecting on 13-of-16 field goals in a win over Indiana State on Nov. 14, becoming the first major conference freshman to reach 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists with no more than one turnover since Syracuse's Carmelo Anthony in 2003 (ESPN), and joined Zion Williamson (2019) and Christian Laettner (1990) as the third Duke player in the past 45 years to score at least 35 points in a double-double performance.
Boozer's nine assists against Florida State were the most by a Blue Devil in the past three seasons (10 assists by Tyrese Proctor against Pitt in the 2023 ACC Tournament).
Boozer needed just 16 career games to record 300+ points, 150+ rebounds and 50+ assists. That is the second fewest needed by any player this century, as LSU's Ben Simmons reached those figures in 15 games 10 years ago in 2015-16. (Stats Perform)
Boozer became the first Blue Devil to score 30 points in consecutive games since RJ Barrett in February 2019.
Boozer has recorded at least 14 points, five rebounds and two assists in all 26 games this season, the longest such streak by any player (men's or women's) at any point in a Division I career this century. (OptaSTATS)
The Miami native has amassed 25 points or more in 10 games, including 35 points against No. 22 Arkansas, 35 points versus Indiana State, 32 points against Wake Forest, 30 points at Stanford and 29 points against No. 15 Florida.
Boozer's 32-point performance versus Wake Forest (Jan. 24) was his 10th game scoring 25 points or more, which ranks third among Duke freshmen all time.
Boozer has led all players in points, rebounds and assists in six games this season, breaking a tie with Tim Duncan (5, 1996-97) for the most by an ACC player in a season over the last 30 seasons.
Boozer has been voted ACC Player of the Week four times (Nov. 17, Dec. 1, Dec. 8, Jan. 19) and ACC Rookie of the Week eight times (Nov. 17, Nov. 24, Dec. 1, Dec. 8, Jan. 5, Jan. 12, Jan. 19, Jan. 26).
The freshman forward is currently the nation's fifth-leading scorer with 22.8 points per game, ranks 14th nationally with 10.0 rebounds per contest and is tied for 10th with 14 double-doubles.
Among ACC statistical leaders, Boozer leads the league in scoring (22.8 ppg) and rebounding (10.0 rpg), and ranks seventh in steals (1.7 spg), 13th in assists (3.9 apg) and fourth in field goal percentage (.582).

Duke is Most-Watched Men's College Basketball Team

Duke is the most-watched men's college basketball team this season, according to Nielsen (as of Feb. 8).
No. 4 Duke's 80-71 victory over No. 22 Arkansas at the United Center on Thanksgiving Day averaged 6.813 million viewers for CBS Sports, becoming the most-watched regular-season college basketball game on any network since the 1992-93 season, according to Nielsen. The previous high came on Feb. 21, 1993, when Purdue faced Indiana on CBS (7.225 million).
The Duke versus North Carolina game on Feb. 7, averaged 3.51 million viewers on ESPN, making it the most-watched regular-season college basketball game in four years. The contest peaked at 4.8 million viewers, representing a 53% increase over the 2025 matchup.

Scheyer Continues to Make History

Duke men's basketball head coach Jon Scheyer continues to add historic milestones to his résumé.
In his fourth season as a head coach, Scheyer became the fastest head coach to win 100 games in ACC history and the second-fastest Division I head coach to reach 100 victories in the last 45 years.
When Duke defeated Lipscomb, 97-73, on Dec. 16, Scheyer hit the century mark in just 122 games.
Scheyer broke the ACC record for the fastest head coach to reach 100 career victories by exceeding Duke's Vic Bubas, who achieved the mark in 128 games in 1964.
Scheyer compiled an 89-22 record (.802) in his first three seasons at the helm, establishing new benchmarks in conference and national history.
Scheyer's 89 victories surpassed the standard set by Bill Guthridge (80, North Carolina, 1997-2000) for the most wins by an ACC coach in their first three seasons and tied Brad Underwood and Brad Stevens for the most by any Division I men's basketball head coach over that span.
Scheyer also became the first coach in conference history to win two ACC Tournament championships within his first three seasons.
During the 2022-23 campaign, Scheyer became the first coach in the conference's storied history to post an undefeated home record in a debut season and the first to lead a team to an ACC title as both a player (2009, 2010) and as a head coach (2023).
In 2024-25, Scheyer guided the Blue Devils to one of the most dominant seasons in program history and the school's 18th Final Four appearance, becoming the youngest head coach to reach the Final Four since 2011.
Under Scheyer, Duke posted a 35-4 overall record in 2024-25, joining a rare group as only the sixth team in school history to notch at least 35 wins and the first in a decade to do so.
Ranked inside the AP Top 25 throughout the 2024-25 campaign, Duke spent two weeks at No. 1 and finished the season No. 3 in the final poll, marking the 41st top-10 finish in school history. The Blue Devils closed the year by winning 31 of their final 33 games, riding impressive win streaks of 16 and 15 games, and storming through the NCAA Tournament with an 86.80 points-per-game average – the second-highest by a Duke team in tournament history (min. five games), behind only the 2001 national champions.
Scheyer's Blue Devils were a statistical powerhouse, leading the nation in scoring margin (+20.5) and becoming the first team in ACC history to lead the conference in both scoring offense (83.2) and scoring defense (62.8).
Duke also tallied 394 made three-pointers, the second-most in program history, while becoming the only Division I team to both average over 80 points per game (83.2) and allow fewer than 63 (62.8).
The Blue Devils achieved a KenPom net rating of 39.29, the second-highest in the site's history since 1996-97 – trailing only the 1998-99 Duke squad (43.01).
Scheyer, one of four finalists for the 2025 Naismith Coach of the Year award, was honored as the recipient of the 2024-25 John McLendon National Coach of the Year Award (presented by College Insider) and was named NABC South Atlantic District Coach of the Year.
The Northbrook, Illinois, native has been integral in the recruiting and development of several young Duke stars since joining the staff in 2013-14, and as head coach has landed the nation's No. 1-ranked recruiting class three times (2022, 2024, 2025) and a No. 2-ranked recruiting class (2023).
Duke has signed a top-three recruiting class per ESPN in every season since Scheyer joined the staff, including the No. 1 class seven times in 12 seasons (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2024, 2025).

Other Notables

Duke has won 35 of its last 37 games against conference opponents.
Duke owns the best record in Division I college basketball over the past two seasons at 59-6. Houston is second at 58-8. (College Basketball Report)
Since Thanksgiving 2024, the Blue Devils have achieved a record of 55-4 (.932).
Duke has a record of 67-3 (.957) when committing 15 or fewer fouls under head coach Jon Scheyer, compared to 46-21 (.687) when the Blue Devils have 16 or more fouls. (@EvanMiya)
Maliq Brown is third in the nation in 2-point field goal percentage (76.1%), having made 54-of-71 shots inside the arc.
Veteran Blue Devil Caleb Foster has proven to be a road warrior this season, establishing new career-highs in points (20 at Louisville), rebounds (8 at Pittsburgh) and assists (8 vs. Arkansas in Chicago) all away from the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans are the first Duke teammates to each have 350+ points in the team's first 25 games of a season since Tre Jones and Vernon Carey Jr. in 2019-20.
Duke has registered 29 kill shots (scoring run of 10+ points) this season, while surrendering just six by the opposition.
The Blue Devils have confronted double-digit deficits in four outings this season, including their largest deficits at Louisville (12) and versus SMU (11), and have rallied to win all four games.
Duke's 11-0 start was the best unbeaten open to a season since the 2017-18 campaign, and its 21-1 record was the best start to a season since 2007-08 (22-1).
The Blue Devils' 17 straight ACC regular-season victories (Feb. 12, 2025-Feb. 3, 2026) is the third-longest ACC winning streak in program history and the longest since 2000.
Duke's eight consecutive ACC road wins (Feb. 12, 2025-Feb. 3, 2026) tied for the third-longest ACC road winning streak in program history.
The 55-point margin of victory over Army West Point (Nov. 11) was Duke's largest road win in program history.
Duke posted a record of 36-3 (.923) in 2025, to tie the ACC record for most wins in a calendar year, equaling the 1992 Blue Devils (36-2) and North Carolina in 2008 (36-3).

The 2025-26 Duke Blue Devils

Entering the 2025-26 campaign under fourth-year head coach Jon Scheyer, Duke returns six players from a squad that finished 35-4 overall last season, capturing the program's 23rd ACC Tournament title, 21st ACC regular-season crown and advancing to its 18th Final Four.
The 2025-26 Duke squad returns just 20% of its offensive production from last season, as all five 2024-25 starters, representing the team's top five scorers, were selected in the NBA Draft.
The 2025-26 Blue Devils welcomed the nation's No. 1-ranked recruiting class - the seventh top-ranked recruiting class for Duke since Scheyer joined the coaching staff.
The Blue Devils are the second-tallest team in the country, trailing Illinois (80.0") - with an average height of 79.3 inches. (KenPom)
Duke is one of the youngest teams in the nation with an average of 0.89 years of Division I experience, according to KenPom.com, which ranks 308th out of 365.

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