Cameron Boozer scored 18 points and No. 3 Duke held on to beat No. 1 Michigan 68-63 in a much-anticipated, high-intensity nonconference showdown Saturday night in Washington, D.C.
Isaiah Evans racked up 14 points, Caleb Foster provided 12 points and Patrick Ngongba II turned in 11 points for Duke (25-2). Boozer grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, part of the Blue Devils 13-rebound advantage on the boards (41-28), and also distributed a game-high seven assists.
Yaxel Lendeborg posted 16 of his 21 points in the first half for Michigan (25-2), which had an 11-game win streak snapped. Morez Johnson Jr. finished with 13 points and Aday Mara notched 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting through foul trouble, but the Wolverines ended at 40% from the field, including 6-for-25 from 3-point range (24%).
Earlier in the day, the NCAA Tournament selection committee’s bracket preview listed Michigan and Duke, respectively, as the top two overall seeds. Attendance was announced at 20,537, making it the largest turnout for a neutral-site game this season.
Michigan had cut an eight-point deficit to 61-58 with 2:18 left when Boozer drained a 3-pointer. But Elliot Cadeau countered for the Wolverines with a three of his own with 1:39 left.
Boozer scored on a short jumper on the next Duke possession. Cadeau’s two free throws came with 51 seconds to play.
Duke milked some clock, but when Ngongba II missed a shot, he grabbed the rebound. So instead of the Wolverines having possession with a chance to pull even, Evans sank two free throws at the 14-second mark.
Duke overcame 11 turnovers to push its winning streak to four games since a three-point loss at North Carolina and may be the new No. 1 team come Monday with No. 2 Houston also losing on Saturday.
Duke held a 35-33 halftime lead. Neither team held a lead of more than five points in the first 20 minutes. An Evans 3-pointer early in the second half stretched the margin to 41-35.
Michigan shot 3-for-13 on 3s in the first half and Duke was 4-for-12. The Wolverines, aided by making nine of their first 11 shots, were at 51.9% from the field in the first half.
