You cannot play everyone. While the Duke Blue Devils and the Michigan Wolverines had another non-conference date on the schedule for next season, that appears to be no more. CBS Sports' Matt Norlander reported on Friday morning that the neutral-site affair in Miami has now been canceled. It was originally supposed to be played at iconic Madison Square Garden instead of at loanDepot Park.
Although the Blue Devils quickly rebounded to get the Texas Tech Red Raiders at MSG for next season, this shot at redemption from last year comes at a price. While Duke could conceivably build a rivalry with the Red Raiders in the non-conference, it pales in comparison to what the Blue Devils have developed over the years with the Wolverines. We will have to wait until at least March Madness.
Truth be told, Duke has more rivals on the college basketball hardwood than it could ever hope to shake a finger at. There are the North Carolina schools in and around The Triangle, as well as the rest of the ACC. Throw in a few traditional powers across the country, and there you go. Unfortunately, Duke-Michigan was starting to pick up some serious juice of late, especially after how last year went.
This emerging rivalry may not blossom to the degree Duke and basketball fans were hoping it would.
Duke's emerging rivalry with Michigan has been put on the back burner
There were certainly complexities with this non-conference game manifesting to even begin with. There was a broadcasting issue with Amazon and the television networks that effectively forced this game out of Madison Square Garden and into loanDepot Park. Big Ten fans were not happy about it. Furthermore, Dusty May departed Michigan for the Dallas Mavericks days before the 2026 NBA Draft.
Although new head coach Mike Boynton Jr. did have the interim tag removed this offseason, his boss, athletic director Warde Manuel, is going to step down at the end of the calendar year, and not the academic year. With a new football coach leading the Wolverines too, with Kyle Whittingham coming over from Utah to replace a disgraced Sherrone Moore, let's just say Michigan has a lot of problems.
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That being said, it is a shame that this game is no longer going to happen. It is one of those non-conference contests that would get college basketball casuals to a television set. Worst of all, the fans miss out here. While Texas Tech could be a behemoth in the Big 12, the Red Raiders do not hit to the degree that the Wolverines do for Duke fans. They have a little bit more history with that program.
Ultimately, we should applaud Jon Scheyer, Nina King, and the rest of Duke athletics for still trying to put something compelling on the schedule for Blue Devils fans to enjoy. Duke basketball is often appointment television. However, it takes two to tango to draw up big numbers. Texas Tech may be a strong program in the Big 12, but Duke will no longer get a shot at the defending national champions.
Right now, Duke can only control what it can control, and that is totally fine at this point of the year.
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