Champions Classic
The Champions Classic is an event that tips off the NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It features four of the top college basketball programs in the United States: Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and Michigan State.[1] The venue changes from year to year, with Madison Square Garden being the first venue. The first Classic was held on November 15, 2011. This would be the beginning of a three-year rotation, originally scheduled to end in 2013, where each of the teams would play each other once. The event is televised on ESPN.[2] The series is currently set to run through 2022.[3]
The series was started as an early-season match-up of the nation's best and most consistent basketball programs[4] as evidenced by the fact that all four teams have been ranked for every competition except on one occasion. Three of the four teams from the 2014 Champions Classic advanced to the 2015 Final Four (Duke, Kentucky, and Michigan State) with Duke winning the National Championship that year. The 2019 games featured the schools ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in both the AP and Coaches polls.[5]
Game results
Rankings are based on the Associated Press poll.
| Date | Location | Winning team | Losing team | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 15, 2011 | Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) |
No. 6 Duke | 74 | Michigan State | 69 | 19,979 |
| No. 2 Kentucky | 75 | No. 12 Kansas | 65 | |||
| November 13, 2012 | Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA) |
No. 21 Michigan State | 67 | No. 7 Kansas | 64 | 22,847 |
| No. 9 Duke | 75 | No. 3 Kentucky | 68 | |||
| November 12, 2013 | United Center (Chicago, IL) |
No. 2 Michigan State | 78 | No. 1 Kentucky | 74 | 22,711 |
| No. 5 Kansas | 94 | No. 4 Duke | 83 | |||
| November 18, 2014 | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, IN) |
No. 4 Duke | 81 | No. 19 Michigan State | 71 | 19,306 |
| No. 1 Kentucky | 72 | No. 5 Kansas | 40 | |||
| November 17, 2015 | United Center (Chicago, IL) |
No. 2 Kentucky | 74 | No. 5 Duke | 63 | 21,461 |
| No. 13 Michigan State | 79 | No. 4 Kansas | 73 | |||
| November 15, 2016 | Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) |
No. 2 Kentucky | 69 | No. 13 Michigan State | 48 | 19,812[6] |
| No. 7 Kansas | 77 | No. 1 Duke | 75 | |||
| November 14, 2017 | United Center (Chicago, IL) |
No. 1 Duke | 88 | No. 2 Michigan State | 81 | 21,684 |
| No. 4 Kansas | 65 | No. 7 Kentucky | 61 | |||
| November 6, 2018 | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, IN) |
No. 1 Kansas | 92 | No. 10 Michigan State | 87 | 19,584 |
| No. 4 Duke | 118 | No. 2 Kentucky | 84 | |||
| November 5, 2019 | Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) |
No. 4 Duke | 68 | No. 3 Kansas | 66 | 19,812 |
| No. 2 Kentucky | 69 | No. 1 Michigan State | 62 | |||
| December 1, 2020 | Cameron Indoor Stadium | No. 8 Michigan Sate | 75 | No. 6 Duke | 69 | 0 |
| Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, IN) |
No. 7 Kansas | 65 | No. 20 Kentucky | 62 | 0 | |
Future match-ups
| Date | Location | Match-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) |
Kansas vs Michigan State Duke vs Kentucky |
| 2022 | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, IN) |
Duke vs Kansas Kentucky vs Michigan State |
Head-to-head records
| Duke | Kansas | Kentucky | Michigan State | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Duke | – | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 |
| vs. Kansas | 1–2 | – | 2–2 | 2–1 |
| vs. Kentucky | 2-1 | 2-2 | – | 1–2 |
| vs. Michigan State | 3–1 | 1-2 | 2–1 | – |
| Total | 6–4 | 5–5 | 5–5 | 4–6 |
References
- ^ Katz, Andy (December 8, 2010). "Marquee programs to meet early". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
- ^ "New Event Pits Four of Basketball's Winningest Programs". Duke Sports Information. December 8, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
- ^ "Michigan State basketball committed to Champions Classic through 2022". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
- ^ "This Champions Classic gives us the greatest opening night in the history of college basketball". CBSsports.com. 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
- ^ "Reactions to the College Basketball Preseason AP Top 25 Poll: Is This the Best Champions Classic Ever?". Stadium. 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
- ^ Champions Classic [@championclassic] (17 November 2016). "19,812 came out to see a great start to the college basketball season at @TheGarden. #ChampionsClassic" (Tweet) – via Twitter./photo/1
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