Final Four Preview? Duke downs No. 1 Michigan, No. 4 Arizona Makes Big Statement

Saturday’s college hoops slate was a gift from the sports gods, featuring a double-header of matchups between a quintet of teams all currently ranked in the top four of the AP Poll. It was certainly a Saturday for statements, with No. 3 Duke earning an impressive and resilient win over No. 1 Michigan in a neutral-site contest in Washington, D.C., scheduled before the season with the intention of being a proper simulation for a late-round NCAA tournament game.

(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

About an hour before Duke handed Michigan its second loss of the season in the nation’s capital, No. 4 Arizona made a statement itself, beating No. 2 Houston on the road despite the fact that one possible All-American was out with an injury and another was basically incapacitated with an illness. That was only a small hurdle for Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats, however, who made a pretty convincing argument that they’re still the best team in the country with Saturday’s effort.

Duke Downs No. 1

Cameron Boozer didn’t necessarily need a National Player of the Year moment to seal his candidacy; he’ll almost certainly be taking home consensus honors regardless. That doesn’t mean the phenom freshman wasn’t going to give us one. With the game still very much in the balance, Boozer scored seven of Duke’s last nine points to lead the Blue Devils to the biggest win of their 2025-26 campaign thus far and a likely No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll on Monday.

Boozer finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the win, making 6-of-10 attempts from the field. Isaiah Evans added 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting, while Caleb Foster chipped in 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting. Duke also received a significant contribution from reserve guard Nikolas Khamenia, who scored six points and grabbed nine rebounds while shooting an efficient 3-of-4 from the field.

FINAL: No. 3 Duke 70, No. 1 Michigan 63

Terrific basketball game in D.C.

Cam Boozer was the best player in the country when it mattered (18-10-7), Duke’s frontcourt won the interior battle and Michigan’s 3PT shooting disappeared at the wrong time.pic.twitter.com/V5LsUfrVzw

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 22, 2026

Lendeborg Starts Fast, Ends Slow

Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg was the star of the first half, scoring 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting before the break. Still, despite Lendeborg’s early success and a highlight reel jam from Morez Johnson Jr. over the NPOY Boozer, the Wolverines trailed 35-33 at halftime. Naturally, Lendeborg slowed down in the second half, scoring five points while making just 1-of-6 attempts from the field (1-of-5 from 3-point range).

Elliot Cadeau suffered an injury scare in the first half but returned for the second, though he wasn’t very effective, making just one of his eight field goal attempts en route to finishing with six points.

As mentioned above, Saturday’s win will very likely put Duke atop next week’s AP Poll that comes out on Monday. This would end a run of 10 consecutive AP Polls topped by either Michigan or Arizona after Arizona initially overtook Purdue on Dec. 8. Should Duke rise to the top spot, the Blue Devils will be the fourth team to hold the No. 1 ranking this season.

No Peat? No Problem

Saturday’s co-main event, if you will, saw Arizona earn a 73-66 victory while shorthanded on the road against Houston. Likely All-American Koa Peat was out for a second straight game with a lower leg injury suffered in the Wildcats’ loss to Texas Tech last week, in addition to Dwayne Aristode’s continued absence with an undisclosed illness.

Still, Arizona led for nearly the entire game, anchored by an impressively efficient 22-point performance from guard Anthony Dell’Orso. The Australian senior made 8-of-14 attempts from the field overall, draining 2-of-5 attempts from 3-point range. Jaden Bradley added 17 points on 6-of-17 shooting, while Ivan Kharchenkov added 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting.

That trio combined for over 75 percent of Arizona’s points on Saturday, as star freshman and likely first-round pick Brayden Burries was limited to just seven points of 1-of-5 shooting after reportedly entering the game under the weather.

Back-to-back ranked wins

#4 Arizona vs. #2 Houston Highlights #Big12MBB | @ArizonaMBB pic.twitter.com/DkmLPN8niS

— Big 12 Studios (@big12studios) February 21, 2026

Arizona Takes Advantage Of Shooting Woes

Phenom freshman and potential top-five NBA Draft pick Kingston Flemings led Houston with 17 points on 6-of-17 shooting in the losing effort, in addition to grabbing eight rebounds and four assists. Emmanuel Sharp scored 14 points but struggled from the field with a 2-of-11 shooting performance, as did freshman Chris Cenac, who scored 11 points but missed all five 3-point attempts.

With Saturday’s triumph, Arizona has earned its third victory this season against opponents ranked in the top three of the AP Poll. Houston joins a list of victims that includes Florida and UConn, who were each ranked No. 3 in the country when Arizona beat both within 16 days at the start of the season in November.

Those wins showed us early on that Arizona was going to be a force to be reckoned with. The Wildcats have lived up to the billing all season, but today’s win was easily the most impressive of the season, given the circumstances.