![]() | |
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 2025. [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 three occasions, Michigan State in 2011, 2021, and 2022. Only eight of the games played in the classic have been won more 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 2023 games, Duke and Kansas have the best record in the Champions Classic at 8–5, followed by Kentucky and Michigan State at 5–8. 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.
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 a | No. 8 Michigan State | 75 | No. 6 Duke | 69 | 0 b |
Bankers Life Fieldhouse a (Indianapolis, IN) | No. 7 Kansas | 65 | No. 20 Kentucky | 62 | 0 b | |
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 |
Date | Location | Match-ups |
---|---|---|
2024 | State Farm Arena (Atlanta, GA) | Kansas vs. Michigan State Kentucky vs Duke |
2025 | TBD | Michigan State vs Kentucky Kansas vs. Duke |
Duke | Kansas | Kentucky | Michigan State | |
---|---|---|---|---|
vs. Duke | – | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–4 |
vs. Kansas | 1–3 | – | 2–3 | 2–2 |
vs. Kentucky | 3–1 | 3–2 | – | 2–2 |
vs. Michigan State | 4–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | – |
Total | 8–5 | 8–5 | 5–8 | 5–8 |
Roy Allen Williams is an American retired college basketball coach who served as the men's head coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels for 18 seasons and the Kansas Jayhawks for 15 seasons. He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007. Williams is widely regarded as one of the best collegiate basketball coaches of all time.
The Associated Press poll provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadcasters from across the nation. Each voter provides their own ranking of the top 25 teams, and the individual rankings are then combined to produce the national ranking by giving a team 25 points for a first place vote, 24 for a second place vote, and so on down to 1 point for a twenty-fifth place vote. Ballots of the voting members in the AP poll are publicized.
The Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball program of the University of Kansas. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference. Kansas is considered one of the most prestigious college basketball programs in the country with six overall national championships, as well being runner-up six times and having the most conference titles in the nation. The Jayhawks also own the NCAA record for most consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances with 28 consecutive appearances. Since the 1984 tournament, the Jayhawks have only missed the tournament twice and both times were due to disciplinary action from the NCAA; they were ruled ineligible for the 1989 tournament and had their 2018 appearance was vacated. They have not missed the tournament strictly due to on the court performance since the 1983 tournament. They were also, along with Dartmouth, the first team to appear in multiple NCAA Tournaments after making their second appearance in the 1942 tournament. The Jayhawks had been ranked in the AP poll for 231 consecutive polls, a streak that had stretched from the poll released on February 2, 2009, poll through the poll released on February 8, 2021, which is the longest streak in AP poll history. Of the 24 seasons the Big 12 conference has been in existence, Kansas has won at least a share of 19 regular-season conference titles.
The 1991 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 14, 1991, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana. A total of 63 games were played.
The NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. NC State is one of the seven founding members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Prior to joining the ACC in 1954, the Wolfpack were members of the Southern Conference, where they won seven conference championships. As a member of the ACC, the Wolfpack has won eleven conference championships, as well as two national championships in 1974 and 1983.
The Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Virginia. The school competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Virginia has won the NCAA Championship, two National Invitation Tournaments, and three ACC tournament titles. The team is coached by Tony Bennett and plays home games at the on-campus John Paul Jones Arena (14,623) which opened in 2006. They have been called the Cavaliers since 1923, predating the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA by half a century.
The Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represents Duke University in NCAA Division I college basketball and competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The team is fifth all-time in wins of any NCAA men's basketball program, and is currently coached by Jon Scheyer.
The North Carolina Tar Heels Men's basketball program is a college basketball team of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels have won six NCAA championships in addition to a 1924 Helms Athletic Foundation title (retroactive). North Carolina has won a record 133 NCAA tournament matchups while advancing to 31 Sweet Sixteen berths, a record 21 Final Fours, and 12 title games. It is the only school to have an active streak of reaching the National Championship game for nine straight decades and at least two Final Fours for six straight decades, all while averaging more wins per season played (20.7) than any other program in college basketball. In 2012, ESPN ranked North Carolina No. 1 on its list of the 50 most successful programs of the past fifty years.
The Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition. Maryland, a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), left the ACC in 2014 to join the Big Ten Conference. Gary Williams, who coached the Terrapins from 1989 to 2011, led the program to its greatest success, including two consecutive Final Fours in 2001 and 2002, which culminated in the 2002 NCAA National Championship. Maryland has appeared in 30 NCAA tournaments and won their conference tournament 4 times. The Terrapins have competed in 100 seasons, accumulating an overall record of 1,641–1,086 as of the 2022–23 season. Maryland is currently coached by Kevin Willard.
The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Michigan State University. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I college basketball. The Spartans have won two NCAA championships and 16 Big Ten Championships. Their home games are played at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing, Michigan. Tom Izzo has been the head coach since 1995.
The Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represents Iowa State University (ISU) and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I. The Cyclones play their home games at Hilton Coliseum on Iowa State's campus.
The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball program is the men's college basketball team of the University of Kentucky. It has eight NCAA championships, the best all-time winning percentage, and the most all-time victories. The Wildcats compete in the Southeastern Conference and are coached by Mark Pope.
The Siena Saints men's basketball team represents Siena College in Loudonville, New York, United States. The NCAA Division I program competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and the annual Franciscan Cup. The Saints are currently coached by Gerry McNamara. He replaced Carmen Maciariello who was fired on March 20, 2024 after 5 seasons.
The Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team is the NCAA Division I college basketball program representing Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas.
The 2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The head coach was Roy Williams. The team played its home games in the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The team won the 2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the fifth NCAA national title in school history. Considered one of the greatest teams in college basketball history, the Tar Heels won their six NCAA tournament games by double digits, and by an average of 19.8 points per game. They were ranked as the 30th best team in college basketball history by Bleacher Report in 2012.
The 1992–93 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1992–93 season. The team played its home games in the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was a member of the Big Ten Conference.
The 2004–05 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by 10th-year head coach Tom Izzo, played their home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan and were members of the Big Ten Conference. MSU finished the season 25–7, 13–3 to finish in second place in the Big Ten. They received a bid to the NCAA tournament for the eighth consecutive year and advanced to the Final Four before losing to eventual National Champion North Carolina.
The 2011–12 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the 2011–2012 college basketball season. The team's head coach was Roy Williams, who was in his 9th season as UNC's head men's basketball coach. The 2011–12 North Carolina team finished the regular season with a final record of 32–6, and with a 14–2 record in ACC regular season play, winning the conference regular season championship outright. They were invited to the 2012 ACC men's basketball tournament, where they beat Maryland and North Carolina State before falling to Florida State in the championship game. They were also invited to the 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament reaching the Elite Eight where they were defeated by Kansas. This was the second time UNC lost to Kansas in the NCAA Tournament with Roy Williams as UNC head coach. Roy Williams previously coached Kansas from 1988–2003. Kansas later fell to Kentucky 59-67 in the National Championship Game. The Tar Heels won their previous three games in the NCAA Tournament by an average of 13.7 points. In the second-round game versus Creighton, starting UNC point guard Kendall Marshall broke his right wrist with 10:56 remaining in the second half. Kendall Marshall did not play in UNC's two following games in the NCAA Tournament, a 73-65 overtime win over Ohio in the Sweet 16 and a 67-80 loss to Kansas in the Elite Eight. The loss to Kansas was UNC's second straight loss in the Elite Eight, after losing to Kentucky the year before.
The 2011–12 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Duke University in the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Returning as head coach was Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. The team played its home games at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They ended the season with 27–7 overall record, 13–3 in ACC play, finishing in 2nd place. In the 2012 ACC men's basketball tournament they reached the semifinals, when they were defeated by eventual champs Florida State. They earned a #2 seed in the 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, but lost to #15 seed Lehigh in the round of 64.
The 1966 NCAA University Division basketball championship game was the final of the 1966 NCAA University Division basketball tournament and determined the national champion in the 1965–66 NCAA University Division men's basketball season. The game was held on March 19, 1966, at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland. The Kentucky Wildcats, the number one ranked team in men's college basketball, faced the Texas Western Miners, who were ranked third in the nation.