The highly anticipated non-conference showdown between Duke and Michigan has been called off, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander.
The game was originally part of a three-game slate that Duke was set to play on Prime Video this season under a landmark broadcasting agreement with Amazon. However, the Big Ten’s objections regarding broadcast rights had already forced the contest to be relocated from Madison Square Garden to the Miami Marlins’ LoanDepot Park, placing it outside the Big Ten’s territorial reach.
Norlander cites Dusty May’s departure from Michigan to take the Dallas Mavericks’ head coaching position as a contributing factor in the cancellation:
“With May no longer around, and with the game still coming under dispute from broadcast television partners in the past month, Duke and Michigan decided in recent days to walk away from the game due to the ongoing complexities with pulling off the matchup under unique circumstances,” Norlander wrote.
The Duke-Michigan clash was expected to be one of the premier non-conference games of the season, and while Duke had already constructed a daunting schedule and could absorb the loss of a marquee opponent, that was not an acceptable outcome for Jon Scheyer.
Instead, Scheyer acted swiftly to fill the vacancy and restore the game to Madison Square Garden. According to Norlander, Duke has substituted Texas Tech for Michigan, and the contest will still be broadcast on Prime Video on December 21st.
Duke will be seeking retribution for last season’s defeat to Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden.
That loss represented one of only two regular-season blemishes for the Blue Devils last year, and it arrived as a shocker in the world’s most famous arena.
In an ominous preview of their NCAA Tournament fate, Duke squandered a 17-point second-half lead and fell to Texas Tech 82-81. The Blue Devils could readily point to their poor free-throw shooting—17-of-29 (59%) as the primary reason for the loss in New York City.
Scheyer will have his squad eager to exact revenge on Texas Tech this season in the same venue.
Duke enters the 2026-27 campaign as one of the deepest and most talented rosters in college basketball, with most forecasts slotting the Blue Devils at preseason No. 2, trailing only Florida.
Texas Tech presents more of a question mark, having lost Christian Anderson and facing uncertainty surrounding JT Toppin’s return from an ACL tear.
Scheyer deserves credit for securing another quality non-conference opponent this late in the process, with most schedules already finalized. It may not generate the same level of excitement as a Michigan matchup would have, but last year’s loss to Texas Tech will provide ample fuel for Duke supporters and the team alike.
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