Report: Michigan-Duke matchup moving to Miami Marlins’ baseball stadium

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The high-profile Michigan-Duke matchup, set to be televised on Amazon Prime, is happening — but at a new venue.

As first reported by Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, the matchup is no longer set for Madison Square Garden and is instead reportedly headed to Miami, to be played at loanDepot park, home of the Miami Marlins.

Trading in The Mecca for a baseball stadium is a big pivot, but the move was prompted by a conference disagreement over who owned the broadcast rights to the matchup.

FOX wanted a piece of the action because the game was scheduled for “shared” territory between the ACC and the Big Ten, and Miami solves that problem.

Why Miami and why a baseball stadium? Norlander reports that’s a product of Dusty May’s relationship with Marlins owner Burce sherman:

You might think it strange and entirely unnecessary that college basketball would look to stage a high-profile matchup outside of a basketball arena, but keep in mind: This sport has gone so far as to stage games on aircraft carriers and military bases.

This unusual arrangement goes back a few years to May’s time as the coach of FAU. Miami Marlins owner Bruce Sherman has deep ties to FAU (and is a season ticket holder). He became friends with May amid the Owls’ national rise in 2023 and 2024; the former FAU coach threw out the first pitch at a Marlins game in April 2023, less than a month after guiding the Owls to the Final Four. Around that time, Sherman actually pitched the idea of getting nearby FAU to play a game at the Marlins’ stadium against a power-conference opponent.

Nothing came of that, but Sherman’s vision never went away. Even before the Duke entanglement, he was pushing Michigan to get a game at loanDepot Park for the 2026-27 season, a source said.

Wisconsin and Stanford played the last men’s basketball game on a baseball diamond in November 2022, with Wisconsin winning 60-50. The two teams combined to shoot 6-of-36 (17%) from 3-point range.

Michigan is also set to face UConn in Boston, play in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, and face Marquette and Villanova during its non-conference slate, with more games to be announced. The Wolverines played the toughest schedule in college basketball last season en route to winning the National Championship.