Media rights dispute takes down classic CBB matchup?
When Duke announced its landmark three-game deal with Amazon Prime Video last month — UConn in Las Vegas on Nov. 25, Michigan at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 21, and Gonzaga in Detroit on Feb. 20 — the immediate question was whether the Big Ten would allow Michigan to participate. It hasn’t. Michigan never received approval from the Big Ten for the deal, which means the Wolverines could be replaced as Duke’s opponent in the marquee Garden game.
The Big Ten’s objection is rooted in a rights dispute whereby the conference claims it controls the media rights to a Duke-Michigan neutral-site game in New York under an alternating arrangement with the ACC for games played in “shared territory” — markets where both conferences have natural broadcast interest, like New York City.