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 until 2019.[3]
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.
As of the 2017 games, only one team has participated in the Champions Classic unranked, Michigan State in 2011.
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[4] |
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 |
Future match-ups
Date | Location | Match-ups |
---|---|---|
November 6, 2018[5] | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, IN) |
Michigan State vs. Kansas |
Duke vs. Kentucky | ||
November 12, 2019 | Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) |
Kansas vs. Duke |
Michigan State vs. Kentucky |
Head-to-head records
Duke | Kansas | Kentucky | Michigan State | |
---|---|---|---|---|
vs. Duke | – | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–3 |
vs. Kansas | 0–2 | – | 2–1 | 2–0 |
vs. Kentucky | 1–1 | 1–2 | – | 1–1 |
vs. Michigan State | 3–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | – |
Total | 4–3 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 3–4 |
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.
- ↑ Negron, Anna (August 24, 2016). "ESPN's State Farm Champions Classic Men's Basketball Doubleheader Renews through 2019". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ "Champions Classic Moves Up One Week to Tip Off 2018-19 College Basketball Season". Retrieved 2018-01-17.