For the first time in 13 years, Michigan basketball will play Duke on Saturday, in a game that doesn't really need any hype.
It's No. 1 vs No. 3. Michigan and Duke have a combined record of 49-3 this season. They are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the Kenpom rankings, and also have the No. 1 and No. 2 adjusted defenses, according to those same metrics.
Both teams have superstars. Cameron Boozer is going to be the No. 1 overall pick. He can do it all. He shoots 58 percent from the field and 39 percent from 3-point range. He's scored at least 15 points in every game for the Blue Devils. Boozer has been held under 50 percent shooting just four times.
If Michigan basketball wants to beat Duke on Saturday, they need to make it five.
Defense is the key for Michigan basketball
Boozer is going to score points. Holding him under 20 is nearly impossible. The ACC scoring leader will get his, the key is making him work, and forcing to be less efficient.
Michigan's defense on Trey Kauffman-Renn is a perfect example. Obviously, the two are very different players. But Kaufman-Renn needed 26 shots to score 27 points in the Michigan win over Purdue on Tuesday. Every bucket was labored.
That's what Michigan needs to do against Boozer. Morez Johnson and Yaxel Lendeborg are the two who will be guarding him. Boozer plays a ton in the post. He can also attack off the dribble and shoot.
Johnson is one of the best defensive bigs in the Big Ten. However, the best defensive player in the entire Big Ten is Lendeborg. So we'll see how often Yaxel winds up on Boozer. Duke is a decent 3-point shooting team (34.9, 138th), but they aren't elite by any means.
Isaiah Evans is the Blue Devils' best shooter (36.1 percent, 2.5 3-pointers per game) from deep. He can be an assassin. Caleb Forster, Dame Sarr and Nikolas Khamenia are each averaging at least one 3-point make per game and shooting above 30 percent.
That doesn't mean Michigan wants to give those guys open looks. Boozer is used to being doubled. That won't happen often against Michigan. The Wolverines are going to force him to make one-on-one plays, which he's the best in the country at doing.
As good as Boozer has been, he hasn't faced a defense like Michigan's. The Wolverines are long, can switch just about every screen, and have the best rim protection in college basketball.
Boozer and the Blue Devils might be able to overcome all of that. Yet, if the Wolverines force Boozer to shoot below 50 percent, that would go a long way toward securing a win.
These are the two best defensive teams in college basketball. So expect the best defensive team on Saturday to win.