Report: Champions Classic location announced for Duke vs. Kansas, Kentucky vs. Michigan State

College basketball enjoys tipping its season off in a big way, with four of the sport’s most historic programs playing each other on a neutral court. Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and Michigan State all participate in the Champions Classic and have been doing so since 2011.

According to Jeff Goodman of Stadium, the annual Champions Classic will take place on Nov. 15 in Indianapolis. A report from late February said due to Election Day, the event would take place a week later than usual. While the four blue blood programs usually begin the season against one another, they will have a couple of nonconference games to warm up.

The two matchups have been set as well, per Goodman’s report. Kansas and Duke will faceoff, while Kentucky meets up with Michigan State once again. Since the event began, 2022 will mark the fourth time these exact matchups have happened.

Even before Kansas tips off against Duke, there will be plenty of storylines to follow, especially since the Jayhawks are the reigning national champions. Head coach Bill Self was able to put together a magical 2022 NCAA Tournament and will be hoping the recapture it for the upcoming season. There will be some roster turnover for Kansas but as always, are still expected to have one of the best teams in the country.

As for the Blue Devils, the Champions Classic will be their first marquee matchup without Mike Krzyzewski on the sideline as head coach. Jon Scheyer has taken over the program and will have the opportunity to get a statement victory early in his tenure. Duke is also bringing in the On3 Consensus No. 1 recruiting class in the country and is expected to be led by a core group of freshmen.

Both programs appeared in the Final Four last season and will have the expectations to get back this year. Maybe Nov. 15 will be a preview of what we’ll see in Houston come April 2023.

Moving onto the other matchup, where head coaches John Calipari and Tom Izzo will meet up once again. Both are fresh off early NCAA Tournament exits and looking for a bounce back.

For Kentucky, the biggest story of the offseason has to be Oscar Tshiebwe returning to school. Already dominating college basketball last season, Tshiebwe is only going to improve as he looks to win back-to-back National Player of the Year awards. Winning is the most important thing to the center and making a deep tournament run will be the main goal in Lexington.

Michigan State also returns some experience as they look to compete inside the Big Ten Conference. Izzo will need some big-time wins early to get momentum on their season rolling. Getting a win over Kentucky in the Champions Classic would be exactly the start the Spartans need.