NEW YORK — The odds stacked against the unranked Michigan men's basketball team were hard to ignore considering the number of players with NCAA tournament experience.

Duke: 10

UCLA: 7

Michigan: 0

Expected to finish third at best, Michigan found itself in the final round of the 2K Sports Classic.

Less than 24 hours after their thrilling win over No. 4 UCLA, the Wolverines couldn’t rally for a second upset, falling 71-56 to No. 10 Duke on Friday at Madison Square Garden.

“It would've been a great weekend if we came out on top, but there's 16 teams in the whole tournament, and we came out second,” said sophomore forward Manny Harris, who led Michigan with 25 points. “It's not bad, but you always feel better when you're No. 1.”

Many imagined Friday’s championship game would preview a potential Final Four matchup between Duke and UCLA. The Wolverines (3-1) didn’t enter the finals with the same national hype as the Bruins, but Michigan remained competitive against the Blue Devils’ talented, veteran team.

Sparked by junior forward DeShawn Sims and sophomore point guard Kelvin Grady, who contributed 11 first-half points off the bench, the Wolverines went into the locker room down 39-31.

Harris opted to pass rather than finish his drives in the first half. But he looked more like himself after the break, scoring 17 points. Several times, he diced through the lane into the outstretched arms of the tournament MVP, Duke’s Kyle Singler. As the beneficiary of all three of Singler’s fouls, Harris kept the Wolverines in the game, going 11-for-12 from the charity stripe.

“We fouled him — it wasn't like he was getting calls,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Harris. “He has the ability to get fouled. A kid like that, that can shoot and get fouled … that's a guy to center in a room.”

Last December, the Wolverines were blown out 95-67 in Durham, N.C. With almost the same roster as last year, Michigan was much more patient against a quick defense, committing just 12 turnovers compared to 15 last year. It held Duke (5-1) to 3 for 13 from behind the arc when the Blue Devils shot over 40 percent in the game last season.

Where they would have forced shots last year, the Wolverines took good looks and made sharp passes. Despite some missed layups and a 35.2 field-goal percentage, Michigan coach John Beilein said he was happy with his team’s shot selection.

“To be 3-1 at (this) point, we have to be pleased,” Beilein said. “We've learned a lot about our team — throwing our young guys in there, just letting people play. I'm pleased at this point, but we have to get better, a lot better.”

The Wolverines’ 1-3-1 defense, which halted UCLA on Thursday couldn’t attack as quickly Friday. The Blue Devils’ size and speed broke the zone as they drove through the lane and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, resulting in 32 points in the paint. Freshman guards Stu Douglass and Zack Novak didn’t have the experience to stop Duke veterans like Gerald Henderson and Nolan Smith, who finished with 12 and 16 points.

Last Tuesday, when asked if he had considered the prospect of playing Duke twice in a season, Beilein said with a laugh, “As little as I can.”

With the Blue Devils coming to Crisler Arena on Dec. 6, the Wolverines have a rare chance to play Duke twice in a single season. The game will be Michigan’s last big-time matchup before the start of conference play.

“They're a great team to prepare for,” said Douglass who was held to just three points after scoring 14 against UCLA. "They're going to be a team in the (NCAA) Tournament definitely, or so it looks like. Just to have those games is an opportunity for us.”