The biggest neutral site game of the Michigan basketball 2025-26 season is now officially, official.

The Wolverines hoops program announced that U-M will play powerhouse Duke at Capital One Arena, set for Saturday Feb. 21, in Washington D.C. The Free Press reported that the matchup was all but finalized more than two months ago on April 23, but only on Tuesday, June 24, did the program actually announce it.

It will be the first time Michigan has played Duke in 13 years, the last came at Cameron Indoor as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in 2013, which U-M lost 79-69. In 30 matchups between the two programs all-time, Duke holds a 22-8 overall record.

The previous two matchups between the squads prior to that both came in 2011. First, the Blue Devils survived an upset-minded Wolverines squad in the NCAA Tournament after a layup by the late Darius Morris narrowly missed and the Blue Devils held on for the 73-71 victory. The two met early the next year when Duke won a neutral court game in the Maui Invitational.

This is the first time Michigan will play in Washington D.C. since the “Coaches vs. Racism” event held in 2021, when Michigan beat Prarie View A&M, 77-49. The Wolverines have equally good memories playing in Capital One Arena, winning four games in four days in the 2017 Big Ten Tournament. The Wolverines won that championship after surviving a scare when the team was involved in a plane crash while leaving for the event.

The event is scheduled weeks before the Big Ten tournament and often when teams with a roster like Michigan are trying to make a push toward the conference title. This will take a considerable amount of energy away from that, but it’s something those around the program have taken into account and say they are happy to take their chances and get a solid litmus test where they are heading into March Madness by playing a program the caliber of Duke.

“Certainly taking that into consideration,” a source familiar with the matchup told the Free Press at the time. “We want to play the best teams in the country, though.”

Neither team will look like they did a season ago when each made runs to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. Michigan has added former five-star point guard Elliot Cadeau (North Carolina), former top-35 recruit Morez Johson (Illinois), former top-15 player in 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara (UCLA) and of No. 1 player in the portal, Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB).

U-M is also adding a host of freshmen, highlighted by McDonald’s All-American Trey McKenney, the 2025 Michigan Mr. Basketball from Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, as well as four-stars Oscar Goodman and Winters Grady, the recently added 7-footer from Europe Malick Kordel and Florida wing Patrick Liburd.

Meanwhile Duke, led by Jon Scheyer entering year four after taking over for legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, lost projected No. 1 NBA pick in Cooper Flagg as well as two more expected lottery selections: Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor.

But the Blue Devils will bring in the Boozer twins, Cayden and Cameron, sons of NBA star Carlos Boozer. Cameron is the No. 1 high school prospect in the nation. Duke also landed five-star power forward Nikolas Khamenia, the No. 20 player in the country per 247 Sports’ composite rankings.

Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball sets date for clash with Duke in Washington D.C.