Pandemic-altered Champions Classic brings Michigan State to Duke
The coronavirus pandemic meant the Champions Classic could no longer be the neutral-site, season-opening spectacle is has become in recent years.
Instead, the event featuring Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State and Kansas will be played in two different cities this year with no spectators in attendance.
Rather than a doubleheader at Chicago’s United Center, the event will have No. 13 Michigan State playing No. 9 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium while No. 10 Kentucky and No. 6 Kansas meet at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Dec. 1. ESPN will televise the games back-to-back with Duke-Michigan State tipping off at 7:30 p.m. and Kentucky-Kansas to follow.
Because a neutral-site game become a road game for Michigan State, the plan is for Duke to return the favor with a game at Michigan State in the 2021-22 season. It could be part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge or simply a standalone non-conference game.
Either way, it will continue what’s become a semi-annual series between two of the sport’s top programs, led by Hall of Fame coaches Mike Krzyzewski and Tom Izzo.
Duke and Michigan State already met nine times in the last 11 seasons. They’ve played three times in the Champions Classic, which began in 2011, and three times in the NCAA tournament. All those games were on neutral courts.
The Spartans and Blue Devils have also played three times in the last 11 ACC-Big Ten Challenges with Duke winning in 2010 and 2016 in Durham in addition to winning in 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan.
Since Izzo became Michigan State’s head coach in 1995, Duke has gone 12-2 against the Spartans.
ESPN, which runs and televises the Champions Classic, attempted to move the doubleheader to Orlando. But different testing protocols in place by the four different conferences represented by the schools made that difficult.
With the time and location for the Michigan State game now firm, the tipoff times and television networks for all but one of Duke’s nonconference games in late November and early December are set.
Duke opens the season Nov. 25 at home with Gardner-Webb at 8 p.m. on ACC Network. The Blue Devils play Coppin State on Nov. 28 at 2 p.m., also at Cameron, in game televised by ACC Network Extra.
After the Michigan State game on Dec. 1, Duke remains at home for two Duke Classic games: Dec. 4 against Bellarmine at 7 p.m. on Fox Sports South and Dec. 6 against Elon at noon on ACC Network.
Illinois comes to Cameron to play Duke on Dec. 8 in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The start time and TV coverage have not been finalized.
On Dec. 12, Charleston Southern plays Duke at Cameron at 8 p.m. on the ACC Network.