A highly anticipated college basketball showdown between Duke and Michigan is reportedly switching venues from New York’s Madison Square Garden to a baseball stadium in Miami, according to multiple sports media outlets.
CBS Sports and Front Office Sports report that the Blue Devils and defending national champion Wolverines will now face off at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins, rather than at the iconic Manhattan arena.
The December 21 contest will still proceed as planned with Amazon Prime Video maintaining broadcasting rights, though venue change contracts have yet to be finalized, according to the reports.
The venue switch reportedly stems from Duke’s groundbreaking streaming deal with Amazon and complications with conference television territory agreements.
Fox serves as the Big Ten’s main broadcasting partner and objected to Amazon streaming Michigan’s game from Madison Square Garden, citing the venue falls within conference territory. Conference teams including Rutgers have previously competed at MSG, and Illinois battled Duke there in February 2024.
When Duke and Michigan launched their series last year in Washington, D.C., ESPN handled the broadcast as the ACC’s primary partner. The Big Ten anticipated its broadcast partner would cover the Duke-Michigan matchup and was reportedly “miffed” when Duke signed a three-game Amazon agreement, according to Yahoo.
Relocating to Miami removes the game from Big Ten territory, but instead of selecting a traditional basketball venue, Michigan coach Dusty May contacted Marlins owner Bruce Sherman directly, CBS Sports reports. May developed a relationship with Sherman during his tenure at Florida Atlantic, which he guided to a surprising Final Four appearance in 2023.
Sherman had previously proposed hosting an FAU game at loanDepot Park and now welcomes the Duke-Michigan clash instead.
The retractable-roof facility has never hosted basketball, though other Major League Baseball stadiums have accommodated the sport. Wisconsin and Stanford men’s teams played at Milwaukee’s American Family Field in 2022, along with Wisconsin and Kansas State women’s squads. The University of San Diego and San Diego State also competed at Petco Park in 2015.
Additionally, loanDepot Park expanded beyond baseball when it hosted the NHL Winter Classic on January 2 this year.
