Duke-Michigan rivalry: Record, Final Four history and revisiting the 'Fab 5' chapter originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Duke vs. Michigan can be as good as it gets in college basketball – and Saturday night will be another reminder of how quickly that rivalry can flare up between the Blue Devils and Wolverines.
No. 1 Michigan meets No. 3 Duke in the Edwards Jones Capital Showcase in Washington, D.C. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The matchup between the Wolverines (25-1) and Blue Devils (24-2) has a chance to be a Final Four or national championship game preview.
Duke and Michigan have met on those stages in the past. This rivalry originated in the 1960s and flared up again in the 1990s. Is this the beginning of a third act?
A look inside the history of this rivalry heading into Saturday's matchup.
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Duke vs. Michigan all-time record
The Blue Devils lead 20-8 in the all-time series against Michigan.
Duke won the last three meetings – the last one when No. 10 Duke beat No. 22 Michigan 79-69 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., on Dec. 3, 2013.
Saturday marks the 15th matchup when both teams are ranked in the AP Top 25. The Blue Devils are 9-5 in those games. This also marks the seventh top-five matchup between the teams, which is the most for any Duke opponent outside of North Carolina. Duke has a 4-2 advantage in those games.
The most-publicized chapter, of course, was during the 1990s.
Duke vs. Michigan during the 'Fab Five' era
The Duke-Michigan rivalry reached its fiercest level during the 1991-92 season when Duke's defending national championship team – led by Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill – clashed with Michigan's "Fab Five" of Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. The teams met again 1992-93.
Those three matchups will be revisited again Saturday night.
No. 1 Duke 88, No. 18 Michigan 85 (Dec. 14, 1991)
Duke – the defending champions under coach Mike Krzyzewski – visited Crisler Arena for an early-season matchup that marked a nationally-televised look at the "Fab Five" under coach Steve Fisher. Michigan trailed by 10 at halftime, but the Wolverines stormed back behind Webber, who had 27 points and 12 rebounds. Hurley tied the game with three free throws in the final minute, and Webber's three-quarter court shot at the buzzer rattled out. The Blue Devils responded in overtime, but the game was an arrival of sorts for Michigan's five freshmen.
No. 1 Duke 71, No. 15 Michigan 51 (April 6, 1992)
Michigan surprised as a No. 6 seed with a run to the national championship game for a rematch with Duke. The Wolverines led 32-31 at halftime behind Webber, but the Blue Devils would not be denied in their run to a second national championship run under Krzyzewski. Laettner had 19 points and seven rebounds, and Hill added 18 points and 10 rebounds. The Blue Devils dominated the second half to clinch the national championship. With 34.13 million viewers, it is the second-most watched college basketball game of all time behind the matchup between Indiana State and Michigan State – the duel between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson – in 1979.
No. 4 Duke 79, No. 1 Michigan 68 (Dec. 5, 1992)
Laettner was gone, but the Blue Devils still had several pieces from the back-to-back national championship teams. Thomas Hill scored 21 points, Hurley added 20 points, and Duke knocked off top-ranked Michigan at Cameron Indoor Stadium. King scored 20 points for the Wolverines, but it was not enough. The "Cameron Crazies" stormed the court after the victory. Duke lost 82-77 to Cal in the second round of the 1992 NCAA tournament. Michigan lost 77-71 to North Carolina in the national championship game after Webber's infamous timeout.
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Did the 'Fab Five' ever beat Duke?
Fab Five members finished 0-5 against Duke. No. 4 Duke beat No. 3 Michigan 73-63 on Dec. 11, 1993, but Webber had left for the NBA. No. 9 Duke beat No. 23 Michigan 69-59 on Dec. 10, 1994 when King and Jackson were seniors on the Michigan roster.
Duke vs. Michigan: Other memorable matchups
No. 3 Michigan beat No. 5 Duke in the schools' first meeting on Dec. 21, 1963 – and the schools would meet in three more top-five showdowns in the next three meetings.
No. 3 Duke 91, No. 2 Michigan 80 (March 20, 1964)
This was a Final Four matchup and a rematch of the schools' first meeting – which Michigan won 83-67. Michigan legend Cazzie Russell had 31 points and 13 rebounds, but Russell and forward Bill Buntin fouled out. Duke rallied from a nine-point deficit behind 25 points from Jay Buckley and 21 points from Mullins. No. 1 UCLA beat Duke 98-83 in the NCAA championship game.
No. 1 Michigan 86, No. 5 Duke 79 (Dec. 5, 1964)
The Wolverines got revenge in the regular-season matchup at Cameron Indoor the following season. Russell scored 21 points with 13 rebounds. He went on to be a first-team All-American that season – and the Wolverines lost 91-80 to UCLA in the men's national championship game.
No. 1 Duke 100, No. 3 Michigan 93 (Dec. 21, 1965)
Duke and Michigan met the following season in an overtime thriller at Cobb Arena in Detroit. The Blue Devils outscored the Wolverines 15-8 in the overtime period. Duke made the Final Four that season before losing to Kentucky 83-79.
No. 8 Michigan 113, No. 6 Duke 108 (Dec. 9, 1989)
The Wolverines – coming off a national championship season – renewed the rivalry with the Blue Devils. The teams played an instant classic at Crisler Arena. Duke tied the game at the end of regulation on a tip-in by Greg Zoubek, but Michigan responded in overtime behind Sean Higgins, who scored seven of his 32 points to help the Wolverines pull away.
No. 7 Michigan 62, No. 10 Duke 61 (Dec. 8, 1996)
Michigan trailed by 12 points in the second half, but Robert "Tractor" Traylor's dunk with 6.2 seconds remaining helped the Wolverines pull off an upset at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Michigan upset No. 1 Duke 81-73 the following season – but the Blue Devils responded by scoring more than 100 points in victories against Wolverines in the next four meetings.
No. 3 Duke 73, Michigan 71 (March 20, 2011)
The Blue Devils and Wolverines met in the second round of the 2011 NCAA tournament in Charlotte, N.C. Nolan Smith scored 24 points for Duke, and Kyrie Irving added 11 points and two assists. Michigan rallied late under coach John Beilein, but Darius Morris' missed a potential game-tying floater in the final seconds.
Duke vs. Michigan: All-time results
Here is a look at the all-time results between Duke and Michigan:
| DATE | WINNER | SCORE | LOSER | SCORE | LOCATION |
| Dec. 21, 1963 | No. 3 Michigan | 83 | No. 5 Duke | 67 | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| March 20, 1964 | No. 3 Duke | 91 | No. 2 Michigan | 80 | Kansas City |
| Dec. 5, 1964 | No. 1 Michigan | 86 | No. 5 Duke | 79 | Durham, N.C. |
| Dec. 21, 1965 | No. 1 Duke | 100 | No. 3 Michigan | 93 | Detroit |
| Dec. 3, 1966 | No. 4 Duke | 96 | Michigan | 75 | Durham, N.C. |
| Dec. 6, 1967 | Duke | 93 | Michigan | 72 | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Dec. 9, 1968 | Michigan | 90 | No. 9 Duke | 80 | Durham, N.C. |
| Dec. 10, 1969 | Duke | 73 | Michigan | 68 | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Dec. 7, 1970 | No. 13 Duke | 95 | Michigan | 74 | Durham, N.C. |
| Dec. 9, 1989 | No. 8 Michigan | 113 | No. 6 Duke | 108 | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Dec. 8, 1990 | No. 5 Duke | 75 | Michigan | 68 | Durham, N.C. |
| Dec. 14, 1991 | No. 1 Duke | 88 | No. 18 Michigan | 85 | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| April 6, 1992 | No. 1 Duke | 71 | No. 15 Michigan | 51 | Minneapolis |
| Dec. 5, 1992 | No. 4 Duke | 79 | No. 1 Michigan | 68 | Durham, N.C. |
| Dec. 11, 1993 | No. 4 Duke | 73 | No. 3 Michigan | 63 | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Dec. 10, 1994 | No. 9 Duke | 69 | No. 23 Michigan | 59 | Durham, N.C. |
| Dec. 9, 1995 | No. 22 Michigan | 88 | No. 18 Duke | 84 | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Dec. 8, 1996 | No. 7 Michigan | 62 | No. 10 Duke | 61 | Durham, N.C. |
| Dec. 13, 1997 | Michigan | 81 | No. 1 Duke | 73 | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Dec. 12, 1998 | No. 3 Duke | 108 | Michigan | 64 | Durham, N.C. |
| Dec. 11, 1999 | No. 14 Duke | 104 | Michigan | 97 | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Dec. 9, 2000 | No. 1 Duke | 104 | Michigan | 61 | Durham, N.C. |
| Dec. 8, 2001 | No. 1 Duke | 104 | Michigan | 83 | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Dec. 7, 2002 | No. 4 Duke | 81 | Michigan | 59 | Durham, N.C. |
| Dec. 8, 2007 | No. 6 Duke | 95 | Michigan | 67 | Durham, N.C. |
| Nov. 21, 2008 | No. 10 Duke | 71 | Michigan | 56 | New York |
| Dec. 6, 2008 | Michigan | 81 | No. 4 Duke | 73 | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| March 20, 2011 | No. 3 Duke | 73 | Michigan | 71 | Charlotte |
| Nov. 22, 2011 | No. 6 Duke | 82 | No. 15 Michigan | 75 | Lahaina, Hawaii |
| Dec. 3, 2013 | No. 10 Duke | 79 | No. 22 Michigan | 69 | Durham, NC |