Duke-Michigan basketball game up in the air over broadcast rights
Defending national champion Michigan and Duke could see their scheduled game at Madison Square Garden get altered, or possibly canceled. Here's why.
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA — One of the most highly anticipated men's college basketball games for the 2026-27 season is up in the air, with broadcasting rights casting doubt. Reigning national champion Michigan and Duke had previously announced they would play on Dec. 21 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Vibes changed around the game when Duke announced a multi-year partnership with Amazon Prime , giving the platform exclusive streaming rights to multiple Duke basketball games each season. The game against Michigan is part of the deal. While the ACC and ESPN were supportive of the deal , the same can't be said for the Big Ten and its broadcast partner, Fox, putting the game's status in question.
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The main issue is the Big Ten believes Michigan should get a cut of the revenue from the game, and New York is a Big Ten market, making it an issue for Fox. "What's the structure of how we got this game made in the first place, and what are we going to do about it? " Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti told the media at the Big Ten spring meetings on Tuesday, May 19.