A blockbuster nonconference game between national champion Michigan and Duke, scheduled for Dec. 21, has been canceled, multiple outlets reported Friday.
The game was set to be played at Madison Square Garden and streamed on Prime Video as part of a three-game agreement with the Blue Devils. Instead, Duke will meet Texas Tech in New York, with the game remaining on Prime.
The Michigan-Duke matchup had been a question mark for about three months, with the Big Ten — backed by Fox Sports — contending it owned the broadcast rights, in part based on the game location. ESPN and the Atlantic Coast Conference already had given approval for the transfer to Prime Video, which is taking its first steps into the live streaming of college sports with the Duke games.
An effort to move the game to the Miami Marlins’ stadium — chosen, in part, because the venue is outside of a geographic area that the Big Ten could call neutral territory — did not pan out, forcing the cancellation.
The cancellation and rescheduling had not been announced as of Friday morning by Duke, Michigan or Texas Tech.
Amazon’s first foray into broadcasting live college sports also will feature the Blue Devils’ games against UConn on Nov. 25 in Las Vegas and Gonzaga on Feb. 20 in Detroit.
–Field Level Media
