It's often said that the men's college basketball season doesn't truly begin until the Champions Classic, the annual showcase that brings four of the sport's blue-blood programs together under one roof.
While the season has already featured several marquee matchups
in its opening week, for many fans, the sport's unofficial tipoff arrives Tuesday night, when the Champions Classic takes center stage at Chicago's United Center.Watch Champions Classic live with Fubo (free trial)
Kickstarting the 16th edition of the Champions Classic in Windy City will be No. 2 Duke vs. No. 5 Michigan State at 7 p.m. ET, while the nightcap will feature Kentucky vs.No. 14 Kansas going head-to-head with a scheduled tip-off at 9:30 ET.
Here's what to know about the Champions
Classic:
What TV channel is Champions Classic on tonight?
- TV channel: ESPN
- Streaming options: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)
ESPN will broadcast both games of the Champions Classic on Tuesday. Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas will call the games courtside in Chicago, while Kris Budden will report from the baselines. Streaming options include the ESPN app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Champions Classic start times today
- Date: Tuesday, Nov. 10
- Times: 7 p.m. ET (Michigan State-Duke) | 9:30 p.m. ET (Kansas-Kentucky)
- Location: United Center (Chicago)
The Champions Classic doubleheader on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at the United Center in Chicago begins with Michigan State vs. Duke at 7 p.m. ET, with Kansas vs. Kentucky following that up. Tipoff for the Kansas-Kentucky matchup is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET, though that start time could be pushed back for two reasons: if the Michigan State-Duke game runs long and because the second College Football Playoff rankings reveal show is slated to air between the two Champions Classic matchups.
Top players in 2026 Champions Classic
Below is a look at some of the top players who are expected to play in Tuesday's Champions Classic based on USA TODAY Sports' top 100 players list:
Duke:
- Caleb Foster, Guard (No. 68 ranked player)
- Dame Sarr, Guard/Forward (No. 36)
- John Blackwell, Guard (No. 13)
- Patrick Ngongba, Center (No. 7)
- Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, Forward/Center (No. 52)
Michigan State:
- Jeremy Fears Jr., Guard (No. 3)
- Coen Carr, Forward (No. 39)
Kentucky:
- Milan Momcilovic, Forward (No. 16)
- Malachi Moreno, Center (No. 53)
Kansas:
- Tyran Stokes, Guard (No. 8)
- Keanu Dawes, Forward (No. 79)
- Trey Kaufman-Renn, Forward (No. 65)
Who competes in the Champions Classic?
The Champions Classic each year is made up of four of college basketball's "blue blood" programs: Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State.
Champions Classic all-time records
Here's a look at all-time series records in the Champions Classic for Tuesday's specific matchups:
- Duke leads all-time series vs. Michigan State 4-1 in Champions Classic
- Kentucky leads all-time series vs. Kansas 3-2 in the Champions Classic
Champions Classic results
Here's a look at past results from the Champions Classic:
- 2011 | Madison Square Garden | New York City
- No. 6 Duke 74, Michigan State 69
- No. 2 Kentucky 75, No. 11 Kansas 65
- 2012 | Georgia Dome | Atlanta
- No. 22 Michigan State 67, No. 7 Kansas 64
- No. 9 Duke 75, No. 3 Kentucky 68
- 2013 | United Center | Chicago
- No. 2 Michigan State 78, No. 1 Kentucky 74
- No. 6 Kansas 94, No. 4 Duke 83
- 2014 | Bankers Life Fieldhouse | Indianapolis
- No. 3 Duke 81, No. 19 Michigan State 71
- No. 1 Kentucky 72, No. 5 Kansas 40
- 2015 | United Center | Chicago
- No. 2 Kentucky 74, No. 4 Duke 63
- No. 13 Michigan State 79, No. 5 Kansas 73
- 2016 | Madison Square Garden | New York City
- No. 2 Kentucky 69, No. 13 Michigan State 48
- No. 8 Kansas 77, No. 1 Duke 75
- 2017 | United Center | Chicago
- No. 1 Duke 88, No. 2 Michigan State 81
- No. 4 Kansas 65, No. 4 Kentucky 61
- 2018 | Bankers Life Fieldhouse | Indianapolis
- No. 1 Kansas 92, No. 10 Michigan State 87
- No. 3 Duke 118, No. 2 Kentucky 84
- 2019 | Madison Square Garden | New York City
- No. 4 Duke 68, No. 3 Kansas 66
- No. 2 Kentucky 69, No. 1 Michigan State 62
- 2020 | Cameron Indoor Stadium (Durham, N.C.); Bankers Fieldhouse (Indianapolis)
- No. 12 Michigan State 75, No. 8 Duke 69
- No. 5 Kansas 65, No. 9 Kentucky 62
- 2021 | Madison Square Garden | New York City
- No. 3 Kansas 87, Michigan State 74
- No. 9 Duke 79, No. 11 Kentucky 71
- 2022 | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | Indianapolis
- No. 5 Kansas 69, No. 8 Duke 64
- No. 25 Michigan State 86, No. 4 Kentucky 77 (2OT)
- 2023 | United Center | Chicago
- No. 9 Duke 74, No. 18 Michigan State
- No. 1 Kansas 89, No. 17 Kentucky 84
- 2024 | State Farm Arena | Atlanta
- No. 1 Kansas 77, Michigan State 69
- No. 19 Kentucky 77, No. 6 Duke 72
- 2025 | Madison Square Garden | New York City
- No. 18 Michigan State 83, No. 13 Kentucky 66
- No. 4 Duke 78, No. 23 Kansas 66
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Champions Classic 2026 TV channel, start times, schedule, top players
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