The biggest news out of Michigan athletics on Wednesday was the heavily speculated decision to move the Michigan vs Duke men’s basketball matchup from Madison Square Garden in New York to loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida this December. Matt Norlander of CBS Sports broke the news and, while not confirmed, all signs point to the game taking place in a baseball stadium thousands of miles away from either school’s campus.
As a fan of Michigan and college basketball, how do you feel about this decision?
For some added background, the matchup was initially set to be held at MSG and be aired on Amazon Prime. However, FOX owns the television rights to the Big Ten and Michigan didn’t get the necessary approvals from the conference. Duke had the option to either replace Michigan as its opponent at MSG or find a new venue. Duke chose the latter option.
The next logical question is “why would they choose Miami of all place?“ Norlander answered that exact question.
TV networks own the broadcast rights to conferences’ non-league games, depending on where they are played. Fox is the Big Ten’s primary television partner, so it has joint territorial media ownership to all games in states where Big Ten teams are based, in addition to a select batch of adjacent states, such as New York (i.e., MSG and the Barclays Center) and places like Louisville, Kentucky, and Washington, D.C.
This eliminated nearly all of the Midwest and East Coast. Eventually the conversation shifted to Florida. Why did they opt for a baseball stadium rather than a traditional basketball arena? That would be due to Dusty May’s connections in South Florida.
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.
Playing basketball in non-basketball stadiums is nothing new. The Wolverines just won the National Championship in a football stadium two months ago. Even playing in baseball stadiums is nothing new, as Wisconsin played Stanford at American Family Field (Miller Park) in 2022. There has even been a Final Four held in a baseball stadium, as the 1999 Final Four was at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s popular.
Irregular sights for fans, poor shooting from distance due to background dimensions, and general distance from the court for fans in the nosebleeds are all major concerns when playing in stadiums not designed with basketball in mind. loanDepot Park is also a casual 20-hour drive from Crisler Center. While the Michigan fanbase travels better than just about every other fanbase, this is certainly asking a lot.
Yet there are still some pros. The game was originally scheduled for Dec. 21 — Christmas break for most students — and remains there despite the venue change. As Michiganders know, it’s the perfect time of year to travel to Florida. Additionally, Florida has significantly more residents that are fans of the Wolverines than the Blue Devils, so don’t be surprised to see a Michigan-friendly crowd.
What are your thoughts on the game being played in a Miami baseball stadium? It’s certainly unique, but are you excited for the occasion or dreading what money has done to college basketball? Will you be making the trip? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
