Duke Outduels Michigan, Hands Wolverines Their Second Loss

This monster matchup lived up to all of the hype.

In a rare top-3, non-conference matchup in February, the No. 1 Michigan men's basketball team (25-2) couldn't scrounge up enough offense to take down No. 3 Duke (25-2), losing 68-63 in a physical defensive battle.

For Michigan, it was graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg getting off of the blocks hot. He scored 10 of the Wolverines' first 14 points and looked extremely comfortable in the big-time environment. He started his scoring by forcing his way into the paint, finishing two and-1s and a fastbreak layup. But he also showed off his range, hitting two 3-pointers early in the half as well.

While the numbers evened out as the half progressed, in the early stages, Michigan was seeking high-percentage looks on the interior, while Duke was more content firing from the outside. So, while the Wolverines were shooting a better percentage from the field, the Blue Devils were able to keep pace with the occasional 3-pointer.

Michigan's junior center Aday Mara picked up three early fouls and was only able to play six minutes in the first half. This forced Lendeborg and sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. to play extended minutes. But when Johnson picked up his second foul late in the half, the Wolverines had to go small.

Duke's star freshman forward Cameron Boozer took advantage Michigan's lack of size on the court. With senior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. drawing the matchup down the stretch, Boozer used his frame and footwork to collect nine points in the first period. Lendeborg finished the half with a game-high 16 points, keeping the Wolverines right in the game.

Neither team opened up a lead larger than five points, and Duke entered halftime with a slim 35-33 lead.

The Blue Devils tested the Wolverines' fight early in the second half, opening up a 41-35 lead in the opening minutes, but Michigan wasn't going to hang its head that easy. Johnson nailed a top-of-the-key 3-pointer for the Wolverines' first field goal of the half, settling things down and making the score 41-38.

Both squads started to struggle offensively. In the first eight minutes of the second half, Michigan shot 3-for-10 from the floor while Duke shot 5-for-6. The biggest difference was the Blue Devils' ability to clean the glass. In that span alone, Duke outrebounded the Wolverines 13-to-6, with seven of those being offensive. So, with 12-minutes to play, the Blue Devils held a 47-42 lead.

As the clock ticked under 10 minutes to play, Michigan's struggles from the field continued, and Duke continued to work the ball inside. The Blue Devils were exposing the Wolverines' defense, continuously running the pick-and-roll to get favorable mismatches down low. Even so, Michigan got to the line and made its free throws to keep the deficit manageable, and at the under-eight minute timeout, it trailed 53-48.

After Duke opened up a 57-49 lead, the Wolverines finally made their move. Mara collected a tip-in layup and then knocked in two free throws to cut the lead to four, then Lendeborg closed the deficit to just one with a right-wing triple off of two offensive rebounds. With just under four minutes to play, Duke was only up by one point, 57-56, and the Wolverines had the momentum on their side.

The teams continued to trade blows, tit for tat. A 3-pointer for a 3-pointer. But with under a minute to play, Duke had still the upper hand, 66-63.

Down three with less than 30 seconds left, the Wolverines forced a miss, but they couldn't corral the rebound. Michigan was forced to foul, and the game was over from there. Duke knocked down its free throws, and the Wolverines couldn't execute a miraculous comeback.

Michigan's No. 1 ranking is probably now short-lived, but its attention turns back to Big Ten play and the quest for a conference title.