One of the most anticipated non-conference college basketball games for the 2026-27 season is no longer happening. As first reported by CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, the previously scheduled matchup between Michigan and Duke has been canceled.
The game was scheduled for Dec. 21 at loanDepot Park in Miami, after initial plans to play at Madison Square Garden fell through. With the Wolverines now out, Duke will reportedly play Texas Tech instead.
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Norlander also wrote that the Wolverines are looking to replace Duke on the schedule, but have yet to finalize anything just yet.
The reason for Michigan backing out appears to be due to broadcast rights. As Norlander wrote: “Complications with the Big Ten’s broadcasting deal — specifically, with that conference’s TV partners believing Amazon did not have the rights to air that game — led the schools to look elsewhere to play, since New York City falls within the Big Ten’s television footprint.”
Michigan and Duke played last season on ESPN, so it makes sense why the Big Ten would want the rights to this matchup. However, with the Blue Devils being the one to set everything up, the conference was not a part of the conversations that Michigan and Duke were having about this game.
Another reason for this cancellation, per Norlander, is the departure of Dusty May. May and Duke head coach Jon Scheyer had been collaborating together in an effort to make the game possible, despite the broadcast hurdles. But as Norlander wrote: “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.”
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The Wolverines still have a challenging non-conference schedule this year despite this news. Michigan is set to compete in the Players Era Championship for a second straight season; the Wolverines will play Creighton on Nov. 24 and could play against Miami, Alabama, Baylor, Gonzaga and others during the tournament.
Boynton and company will begin the season with a National Championship rematch against UConn. They will also play Marquette at home on Nov. 11 before traveling to Villanova on Nov. 21. An exhibition against Houston in Grand Rapids was also reportedly on the schedule before May’s departure, so it’ll be interesting to see if that ends up happening.
