Duke Meets Michigan State, Kansas Faces Kentucky in Champions Classic Tuesday in Chicago
The four college basketball blue bloods meet at the United Center, according to News 6 Sports and the Associated Press' Dave Skretta. No. 1 Florida opens in Las Vegas on Nov. 17.
Four of college basketball's biggest names share one building Tuesday night, and they have already been tested.
The Champions Classic returns to the United Center in Chicago with a doubleheader. No. 2 Duke plays No. 5 Michigan State. No. 15 Kansas faces No. 24 Kentucky. News 6 Sports (ClickOrlando.com) carried the Associated Press preview by Dave Skretta.
Not the first big test
For many years, this event was the first real step up in competition for these programs. Not this season. Each team loaded its exhibition schedule with serious opponents, so Chicago is not the first hard game.
Kentucky faced No. 16 Texas Tech. Michigan State played UConn and Marquette. Duke and Kansas met at Allen Fieldhouse, and the Blue Devils won. Their regular-season openers were far easier. Only Kentucky's win over James Madison was close, until the Wildcats pulled away late.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer said the schedule was planned that way. "We want to be in moments like this and games like this," he said. He added that Michigan State will test the Blue Devils in ways they haven't seen yet.
Scheyer also admitted that the win over Kansas felt nothing like a meaningless exhibition.
Two programs, one statement
Kentucky's Zoom Diallo called the matchup with Kansas a statement game, a chance to show where the Wildcats stand. Kansas coach Bill Self pointed to the history: the two winningest programs of all time, meeting on a neutral floor.
The series is tight. Duke and Kansas are each 9-6 in the Champions Classic. Kentucky and Michigan State are each 6-9.
Also on the schedule
Tuesday is one of the few nights of the week not dominated by college football or the NFL. No. 3 Illinois visits Texas Tech, a true nonconference road game. Those have become rarer as schools chase NIL money available through neutral-site games, according to the AP report.
Friday is another quiet night on the football calendar. Among the games: Ohio State at No. 4 UConn in Hartford, and Seton Hall at No. 18 Alabama.
Florida's turn is next
The top-ranked Gators play Notre Dame on Nov. 17 in the Players Era 8 in Las Vegas. No. 8 Houston plays Rutgers the same day, and the winners meet in the semifinals.
Kansas plays UNLV in that bracket, and West Virginia faces Auburn. Also on Nov. 17, Illinois visits Duke and Michigan State visits Tennessee.