Duke, Michigan basketball finalizing massive 2026 showdown in Washington D.C.
04/23/2025 03:35 PM
Non-conference matchups in college basketball are typically long gone by the time February rolls around, but the Duke basketball team will be going up against Michigan in February of 2026. The Blue Devils played a neutral site game in February against a Big Ten team this past season as well as they easily blew by Illinois at Madison Square Garden. Michigan and Duke are both expected to be among the best teams in the country next year, so this should end up being a terrific matchup.
“NEWS: Duke and Michigan are finalizing an agreement to play a neutral site game at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. in February of 2026, according to multiple sources,” Jon Rothstein said in a post.
The Duke basketball team had one of its best seasons in a while this year as it made it all the way to the Final Four before being shocked against Houston. Led by Cooper Flagg, the Blue Devils were one of the best teams in basketball all year long. Duke ended up finishing with a 35-4 overall record, and it went 19-1 in conference play. That was good enough to win the ACC regular season title, and the Blue Devils went on to win the ACC Tournament as well.
Duke ended up cruising to the Final Four with four relatively easy wins in the NCAA Tournament, and by the time the Final Four arrived, the Blue Devils were a pretty heavy favorite to win it all. They had a big lead against Houston for most of the game, and then out of nowhere, the Cougars came from behind to end Duke’s season.
The end of the season was heartbreaking for Duke, but the future is bright for this program. The Blue Devils will be back.
This past season was a big one for the Michigan basketball team as well. The Wolverines had one of their worst seasons in program history the year prior, but head coach Dusty May delivered during his first year on the job. Michigan finished 27-10 with a 14-6 mark in Big Ten play. The Wolverines went on to win the Big Ten Tournament, and they earned a five-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Michigan went on a nice run in the big dance as it made it to the Sweet 16. After the way the 2023-24 season went, that was a major win. The Wolverines knocked off 12-seed UCSD and four-seed Texas A&M before falling to top overall seed Auburn.
Because of transfer portal hauls and returning players coming back, the Michigan basketball team and Duke are expected to be top teams once again next season. This meeting in DC is going to be a fun one.
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