Cameron Boozer versus Yaxel Lendeborg. Jon Scheyer versus Dusty May. The No. 3 team versus the No. 1 team. The Duke Blue Devils versus the Michigan Wolverines.
This matchup quite literally has all of the makings of a National Championship game, and it could likely change the betting odds for who will win it all for the rest of the season.
Heading into Saturday, the Wolverines are unsurprisingly the betting favorites to win the National Championship in April with +330 odds, followed by a tie between Duke and the Arizona Wildcats at +600, and then the Houston Cougars at +800 odds.
Duke can tank Michigan's natty odds with win
When any team wins or loses, the outlook on the rest of its season either improves or deteriorates. When two of the top teams in the nation go head-to-head, that outlook more specifically focuses on the teams' likelihood to win the National Championship.
So, with a win, Duke could see its odds to win it all skyrocket, and it could, in turn, see Michigan's odds to win the National Championship plummet. If the Wolverines win, the inverse could happen.
Now, it's highly unlikely that either team will see its odds to win the national title entirely vanish with a loss. Michigan only has one loss, and Duke only has two losses on the year after all.
Not to mention, odds don't actually impact how a team plays in the postseason, or how any of its opponents play on the opposite end of the court.
Additionally, both teams will see byes through the first round or two of their conference tournaments and will be competing for their conference titles, which would only further cement them as top seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
Also read: Duke vs. Michigan opening odds confirm concerns for Saturday
However, it never hurts to see your odds to win the National Championship rise throughout the regular season, and it certainly never hurts to secure a regular-season win over the No. 1 team in the nation.
After ESPN's College GameDay tips off the day in Washington, D.C., the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines and the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils are scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 21, and the game will be aired on ESPN.