Duke's anticipated rematch with Michigan is no longer part of the Blue Devils' 2026-27 schedule.
The Dec. 21 game has been canceled, with Duke now set to face Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden on the same date. The replacement matchup will remain part of Duke's three game non-conference package on Prime Video. CBS Sports and ESPN reported the change Friday.
The Michigan game had been announced April 30 as part of Duke's multiyear agreement with Amazon. The original plan called for the Blue Devils and Wolverines to play at Madison Square Garden, joining Duke's neutral site games against UConn in Las Vegas and Gonzaga in Detroit as the three Prime Video broadcasts for the upcoming season.
That arrangement eventually ran into complications involving Michigan's Big Ten media obligations.
Sources indicated to TheDevilsDen.com that Michigan misunderstood its conference and broadcast responsibilities when it agreed to the matchup, entering into an arrangement it ultimately could not fulfill. Public reporting similarly traced the problem to a disagreement over which media partner controlled the game, with the Big Ten's television partners disputing Amazon's right to carry a Michigan game played in New York.
The schools initially attempted to preserve the matchup by moving it from Madison Square Garden to loanDepot Park, the Miami Marlins' baseball stadium. Former Michigan coach Dusty May helped pursue that alternative because of his relationship with the Marlins' ownership group, but the broadcast issues remained unresolved. May's subsequent departure for the Dallas Mavericks removed another central figure from the effort to keep the game together.
With the contractual and media-rights questions still unsettled, Duke and Michigan ended the plan in recent days.
The cancellation removes what would have been the second Duke-Michigan meeting in 10 months. The Blue Devils defeated the then-No. 1 Wolverines, 68-63, in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 21. Michigan later won the national championship, while Duke's season ended against UConn in the Elite Eight.
Duke moved quickly to fill the opening with a familiar opponent.
Texas Tech will return to Madison Square Garden for a second consecutive December matchup with the Blue Devils. The Red Raiders handed Duke its first loss of the 2025-26 season, winning 82-81 at the Garden on Dec. 20. Cameron Boozer finished that game with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, but Texas Tech erased a 10-point halftime deficit and escaped with the one-point victory.
That result gave Texas Tech its first win in three meetings with Duke. The Blue Devils previously beat the Red Raiders at Madison Square Garden in 2018 and in the Sweet 16 of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
The latest change also puts Duke back at Madison Square Garden after the proposed move to Miami. The Blue Devils are already expected to play Georgia at the Garden as part of the Jimmy V Classic, and the Texas Tech game will give the program another New York appearance before Christmas.
CBS reported that the final contracts were still being completed Friday morning, but that all parties had agreed to the Dec. 21 matchup. The game is expected to remain on Prime Video, preserving the original date and broadcast window attached to the Michigan contest.
The other two games in Duke's Amazon package remain unchanged: the Blue Devils will meet UConn on Nov. 25 in Las Vegas and Gonzaga on Feb. 20 in Detroit. The broader nonconference schedule also includes Michigan State in Chicago, Illinois at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Washington State in Palm Desert and Florida on the road in the ACC/SEC Challenge.