Duke, Michigan State, Kansas, Kentucky Meet in Chicago on a Stacked Tuesday

Duke plays Michigan State and Kansas meets Kentucky on Tuesday night in the Champions Classic at the United Center in Chicago. Both games air nationally on ESPN, and a busy slate elsewhere includes top-ranked Florida at Florida State and No. 3 Illinois at Texas Tech.

The doubleheader is one of the first big tests of the season for four of the sport's best-known programs, according to reporting from The Associated Press, Fox News and Busting Brackets.

What are the Champions Classic games and when are they on?

Michigan State and Duke tip off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Kansas and Kentucky follow at 9:30 p.m. ET, also on ESPN. The event brings the four schools together in different combinations and cities during the first couple of weeks of each season, AP reported.

Rankings differ by outlet. AP lists Duke second, Michigan State fifth, Kansas 15th and Kentucky 24th. Busting Brackets, citing CBS Sports listings, has Michigan State sixth, Kansas 17th and Kentucky 23rd. Fox News matches AP on Michigan State and Kentucky.

How have the four teams looked so far?

Each team enters 2-0. Duke beat Army and Coastal Carolina, Michigan State beat Quinnipiac and Toledo, Kansas beat Fordham and Middle Tennessee, and Kentucky beat Manhattan and James Madison, per AP. Kentucky's win over James Madison was the only close one, though the Wildcats pulled away late.

All four also played tougher exhibitions, including Duke against Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. Duke coach Jon Scheyer said that schedule was deliberate. “We want to be in moments like this and games like this,” he said.

Fox News noted that Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. averaged 15.2 points and led the nation with 9.4 assists per game last season. Duke went 35-3 last year, while Michigan State went 27-8. Fox also reported that Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is 3-15 against Duke.

In the series, Duke and Kansas are each 9-6 in the Champions Classic, and Kentucky and Michigan State are each 6-9, according to AP.

What else is on Tuesday's schedule?

Florida, ranked No. 1, visits in-state rival Florida State at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2, according to Busting Brackets. Memphis plays at Vanderbilt at 7:15 p.m. ET, streaming on SEC Network+.

Illinois, ranked third, plays at Texas Tech at 8 p.m. ET on Peacock. Texas Tech is ranked 19th by Busting Brackets and 16th by Fox News. Fox reported that Illinois has scored 232 points in its first two games, while Texas Tech has won 48 consecutive nonconference home games. Fox also said Illinois forward David Mirkovic is sidelined after foot surgery and an appendectomy and forward Jake Davis is out with a shoulder injury. Texas Tech star JT Toppin is still recovering from a torn ACL and is targeting a return by the end of December, according to Fox.

Busting Brackets also flagged first-time meetings and in-state matchups, including Bradley at Davidson and Belmont at Lipscomb, both at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET respectively on ESPN+.

Why does it matter for fans?

For viewers, Tuesday offers several nationally televised games on a night when college football and the NFL are not dominating the schedule, AP noted. Access varies. The Illinois game is on Peacock, the Memphis game is on SEC Network+, and several others are on ESPN+ or listed as check local listings.

AP also said the Illinois trip to Lubbock is the kind of true nonconference road game that has become rarer as schools pursue the NIL money available from neutral-site games. Results this early will not settle any championship races, Busting Brackets wrote, but they give an early read on which teams are developing quickly.

What comes next?

The schedule gets heavier. On Friday, AP said, Ohio State plays fourth-ranked UConn in Hartford, Connecticut, sixth-ranked Virginia visits Maryland, No. 12 Arizona goes to Auburn and Seton Hall visits No. 18 Alabama.

On Nov. 17, the first Players Era Festival event begins in Las Vegas. No. 1 Florida faces Notre Dame and No. 8 Houston plays Rutgers, and Kansas meets UNLV, per AP. The same day, Illinois visits Duke and Michigan State visits Tennessee. UConn travels to Arizona the next day.

Around Prague, based on reporting by Busting Brackets, Fox News, myMotherLode.com

Cover photo: Alacoolwiki / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

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