College basketball: Michigan 81, #4 Duke 73. Another program win for Michigan on a big day for the Big Ten, and suddenly everything looks different. The Wolverines look like contenders in the Big Ten, the Big Ten again looks relevant nationally and it looks like we can again resent Dick Vitale for his ACC-centric worldview.

DeShawn Sims. What a game. Twenty-eight points, 12 rebounds, and part of the surprising Michigan defense that kept the Blue Devils on the perimeter all afternoon. Apologists are calling it a bad shooting day for Duke, which at one point was 3-for-26 from three-point range. But Michigan made it uncomfortable inside and the Blue Devils stayed away, firing with 33 shots from behind the arc. That had two game-changing consequences: a) Duke missed a lot; and b) by shooting and not driving, the Blue Devils didn’t get to the line. When Duke beat U-M two weeks ago in New York, it took only 19 threes and went to the line 25 times. Today? Besides the the 33 treys, Duke attempted only six free throws.

It’s still the nonconference season, but already Michigan has two glittering wins that will look very, very nice on an NCAA Tournament resume. It’s still the nonconference season, but already Michigan has two marquee wins of a caliber Brian Ellerbee and Tommy Amaker seldom (ever?) experienced. It’s still the nonconference season, but with this win U-M will be a heavy favorite to equal last year’s total of ten victories before conference play even starts.

The Wolverines’ win also does wonders for the Big Ten’s image. A couple of days after another ACC-Big Ten Challenge loss that included blowouts in the games matching the top preseason teams from both conferences (Duke-Purdue and MSU-UNC), Michigan’s win makes the ACC’s dominance look a little less immutable. In fact, combined with this afternoon’s other Big Ten victories — Ohio State’s upset of #7 Notre Dame (Big East), Illinois’ 34-point win over Georgia (SEC) and Northwestern’s 27-point win over DePaul (Conference USA) — the Big Ten suddenly looks plenty healthy compared to the other major conferences.

What a win for Michigan. It’s both another big win and also a big step forward from the shadows into the spotlight. I don’t know how many program wins it takes before you have a bona fide program, but the Wolverines have set the stage for a season that would significantly exceed expectations, and that surely is the next step. Box.