WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Duke’s 11th victory in program history over the No. 1 team in the was already secure when Isaiah Evans and screamed in joy toward the fans along the baseline.
The basket was ultimately waved off for being a fraction of a second too late, but No. 3 Duke had already made its point by outhustling and outplaying top-ranked Michigan for before a riveted crowd of 20,537 in the nation’s capital.
鈥淭hat was a game that didn’t feel like it was played in February,鈥� Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. 鈥淭hat felt like a March or April game.鈥�
Evans, freshman star Cameron Boozer and the Blue Devils could be back inside Capital One Arena five weeks from now, playing in the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament. Duke was projected earlier Saturday in the East, and now it can make the case as the top overall seed.
Fans traded chants of 鈥淟et鈥檚 go Duke!鈥� and 鈥淟et鈥檚 go Blue!鈥� for the rare must-see matchup in a city starved for meaningful basketball. ESPN鈥檚 鈥淐ollege GameDay鈥� was broadcast from inside the arena during the teams鈥� morning shootaround, and tickets for upper-level seats were selling in the $600 range in the hours before the game, with courtside seats upwards of $6,000.
鈥淭his game helped us understand what a tournament environment is all about,鈥� Scheyer said. 鈥淚’m thankful for this, just this whole event, because I think it really simulates what it’s going to be. And whether we have an opportunity to play in Washington or not, this helped us a lot.鈥�
Further complicating the top of the March Madness bracket, No. 2 Houston also lost Saturday, falling at home . It was the first time since Feb. 8 of last year that the top two teams in the AP poll lost on the same day.
Two weeks removed from losing at rival North Carolina on a buzzer-beater, the Blue Devils ended the 11-game winning streak of another blueblood 鈥� one they hadn’t faced in a dozen years. Michigan fell to 0-7 in neutral-site meetings with Duke, a series that includes the 1992 national title game, when the Wolverines’ 鈥淔ab Five鈥� freshmen were blown out by Grant Hill, Christian Laettner and the experienced Blue Devils.
It’s Michigan coach Dusty May who has the more veteran squad this year, with Duke led by the 18-year-old Boozer and sophomores Evans and Patrick Ngongba II. In this rare late-February nonconference blockbuster, the Blue Devils had more toughness and poise.
Had Duke fallen apart in the second half, it had a ready-made excuse. Boozer picked up his fourth foul with 8:42 left, and a turnover on Duke鈥檚 next possession prompted the loudest cheers of the night by Wolverines fans.
鈥淭his guy, he’s doing everything. Assists, rebounds, scoring it, taking care of the ball. Fouling,鈥� Scheyer said of Boozer. 鈥淲e can’t have that happening.鈥�
But Michigan鈥檚 next two trips ended with a turnover and a missed 3-pointer, both by ex-Tar Heel Elliot Cadeau. Duke still led 57-53 when Boozer reentered with 4:47 remaining.
鈥淲hen Boozer goes out, you’ve got to find a way to capitalize and we weren鈥檛 able to do that for a number of reasons,鈥� May said. 鈥淲e had some timely errors defensively that gave them easy baskets.鈥�
While Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg dominated early 鈥� he had 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the first 5:23 鈥� it was Boozer who took over down the stretch. Caleb Foster found him for a wide-open 3-pointer with 1:55 left to make it 64-58.
After Cadeau responded with a 3, Boozer got free inside and his short jumper was ruled good when Michigan’s 7-foot-3 Aday Mara was called for goaltending. Boozer finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds as he withstood the physicality of Lendeborg and Michigan’s other big men.
鈥淥bviously they’re a great front line, but that’s not on my mind,鈥� Boozer said. 鈥淥n my mind is making winning plays, helping our team win. I feel like I did that tonight.鈥�
The matchup was hyped both for the meeting of name-brand schools but also by the analytics crowd. Michigan and Duke are the only two teams rated in the top eight by KenPom in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
But while the Wolverines came in with five players averaging in double-figure scoring, Duke was more resourceful on offense and connected on defense. Too often, the Wolverines settled for contested 3-pointers, leading to one-and-done possessions 鈥� Michigan shot 6 of 25 from long range and lost the rebounding battle 41-28.
鈥淲e have a versatile group that’s different. I think game to game, it can be different things that work for us,鈥� Scheyer said. 鈥淢atchups are important, who鈥檚 guarding who, and you鈥檙e just trying to create an advantage. And then trust these guys to make the right play.鈥�
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