No. 3 Duke takes down No. 1 Michigan in thrilling Capital Showcase
By David Wasson
Published:
The second game Saturday involving the top-4 teams in the country was a special one, as the third-ranked Duke Blue Devils dealt the top-ranked Michigan Wolverines a 68-63 decision in the Edward Jones Capital Showcase in Washington, D.C.
The Blue Devils improved to 25-2 overall with the victory, their third straight. The Wolverines (25-2) saw their 11-game winning streak come to a close. Michigan’s only previous loss in the 2025-26 season was a 91-88 home loss to Wisconsin on Jan. 27.
Duke has now knocked off 11 No. 1 teams in 33 attempts in program history, improved to 23-8 all-time against Michigan and is now 7-0 against the Wolverines in neutral site games.
Cameron Boozer led a balanced Blue Devil scoring attack with 18 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Isaiah Evans scored 14 points, Caleb Foster had 12 points and Patrick Ngongba added 11 points.
Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg led all scorers with 21 points. Morez Johnson Jr. scored 13 points and Aday Mara added 10 points. The Wolverines shot just 28.6 percent from the field (8-of-28) in the second half and were outrebounded 41-28.
Duke heads back into ACC play Tuesday night when it hits the road to play Notre Dame (7 pm, ESPN). Michigan returns to Big Ten action when it plays host to Minnesota on Tuesday night (8:30 pm, Big Ten Network).
Saturday night may have been a preview of a future Final Four matchup. Will Duke or Michigan win it all in the NCAA Tournament? Here’s a look at the latest action on prediction market Kalshi:
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
