Champions Classic
 | |
| Sport | College Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Venue(s) | Varies |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN |
| Sponsor(s) | State Farm |
| Official website | https://espnevents.com/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 set to run through 2028.[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 four occasions, Michigan State in 2011, 2021, 2022 and 2024. Only eight of the games played in the classic have been won by 10 or more points. The schools have combined for 9 National Championships, 37 Final Fours, and 21 National Championship game appearances since 1988. Three of the four teams from the 2014 event 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 first, second, third, and fourth in both the AP and Coaches polls.[5] From 2017 to 2021, all four teams were coached by members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame; Bill Self of Kansas was the last of the four coaches inducted in 2017, Mike Krzyzewski retired at the end of the 2021–22 season.
As of the conclusion of the 2024 games, Kansas has the best record in the Champions Classic at 9-5, followed by Duke at 8-6, Kentucky at 6-8, and Michigan State at 5-9. Each team has at least one victory over each team in the classic, and Kansas is the only team that does not have a losing record to one of the other three teams. Only once has a game gone into overtime, in 2022 when Michigan State defeated Kentucky. The most points scored was 118 by Duke in 2018, while the fewest was 40 by Kansas in 2014. The largest margin of defeat was 34 points when Duke defeated Kentucky 118–84 in 2018. The closest game was a Kansas victory over Duke by 2 points (77–75) in 2016.
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 Stadiuma | No. 8 Michigan State | 75 | No. 6 Duke | 69 | 0b |
| Bankers Life Fieldhousea (Indianapolis, IN) |
No. 7 Kansas | 65 | No. 20 Kentucky | 62 | 0b | |
| November 9, 2021 | Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) |
No. 3 Kansas | 87 | Michigan State | 74 | 18,132 |
| No. 9 Duke | 79 | No. 10 Kentucky | 71 | |||
| November 15, 2022 | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, IN) |
No. 6 Kansas | 69 | No. 7 Duke | 64 | 17,923 |
| Michigan State | 862OT | No. 4 Kentucky | 77 | |||
| November 14, 2023 | United Center (Chicago, IL) |
No. 9 Duke | 74 | No. 18 Michigan State | 65 | 18,780 |
| No. 1 Kansas | 89 | No. 17 Kentucky | 84 | |||
| November 12, 2024 | State Farm Arena (Atlanta, GA) |
No. 1 Kansas | 77 | Michigan State | 69 | 16,107 |
| No. 19 Kentucky | 77 | No. 6 Duke | 72 | |||
- a Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicting safety protocols between the various conferences, Michigan State played its Champions Classic game at Duke while Kentucky and Kansas played in Indianapolis.[7]
- b No attendance due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Future match-ups
| Date | Location | Match-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) |
Kansas vs. Duke Michigan State vs. Kentucky |
| 2026 | TBA |
Michigan State vs. Duke Kansas vs. Kentucky |
| 2027 | TBA |
Kentucky vs. Duke Kansas vs. Michigan State |
| 2028 | TBA |
Kentucky vs. Michigan State Duke vs. Kansas |
Head-to-head records
| Duke | Kansas | Kentucky | Michigan State | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Duke | – | 3–1 | 2–3 | 1–4 |
| vs. Kansas | 1–3 | – | 2–3 | 2–3 |
| vs. Kentucky | 3–2 | 3–2 | – | 2–2 |
| vs. Michigan State | 4–1 | 3–2 | 2–2 | – |
| Total | 8–6 | 9–5 | 6–8 | 5–9 |
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.
- ^ "Champions Classic renewed through 2028-29 basketball season". Yahoo Sports. 2024-11-12. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "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
- ^ Crawford, Kirkland. "Michigan State basketball at Duke reportedly to play Dec. 1 in Champions Classic". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
- ^ DiCristoforo, Andrea. "State Farm® Champions Classic Extended Through 2028". ESPNPressRoom.com. ESPN.