DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) – The Duke men’s basketball team is adding a marquee opponent to its non-conference schedule for next season as Jon Scheyer’s program finalized a deal to play against Michigan in a neutral-site game.
The Blue Devils and Wolverines will square off at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. in February 2026, according to a report from CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein.
An official date for the matchup has yet to be determined, and there’s no current timetable for an official announcement, the report states.
CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander reports that both sides have planned to schedule this neutral-site game for months. He also reports the game is expected to take place on either Saturday, Feb. 21, or Sunday, Feb. 22, depending on the venue’s schedule.
Capital One Arena, which is the home of the Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards and the Georgetown men’s basketball team, is set to play host to the East Regional of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
While these late non-conference bouts are typically out of the ordinary, Duke is used to these types of games after facing Illinois at Madison Square Garden this past February.
“The idea came up of doing it in February,” Scheyer said on an Atlantic Coast Conference coaches’ call. “The more I talked about it, the more I liked the concept of getting a neutral game late in the year against a different opponent to get outside of the bubble that we’re in in ACC play.”
Scheyer’s roster is starting to take shape for the 2025-26 season. Following the NBA departures of Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor, the Blue Devils received welcome news as key contributors Caleb Foster, Isaiah Evans, Patrick Ngongba II and Maliq Brown recently announced they will all be coming back to Durham next year. All eyes now turn to Khaman Maluach, who has until April 26 to declare for the 2025 NBA Draft.
On top of the returning players, Duke’s incoming recruiting class is loaded with star-studded talent, highlighted by top prospects Cameron and Cayden Boozer, the twin sons of former Blue Devils standout Carlos Boozer, as well as dynamic forward Nikolas Khamenia. All three players earned spots in the 2025 McDonald’s All-American Game earlier this month.
Duke owns a 10-1 all-time record over Michigan between 1998 and 2013. The Wolverines’ only victory transpired in December 2008.