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There was a period when the Champions Classic was the signature event of what amounted to college basketball's Opening Day -- but it's not anymore. Instead, we now start every season in a lesser way, this year with a game between unranked opponents played on a Sunday in Europe while most American sports fans were busy finalizing their fantasy football lineups.
It's so silly.
Other non-college sports that generate this kind of attention and revenue always launch their seasons with big matchups designed to drum up interest -- but those sports have people looking out for the greater good. Unfortunately, college basketball really doesn't. So the NFL season launches with a Super Bowl rematch between the Patriots and Seahawks in primetime, and the college basketball season launches with unranked Notre Dame vs. unranked Villanova at 9:30 am ET.
Anyway ...
The Champions Classic is no longer on the first day of the season. This year, it's on the 10th day -- more specifically, Tuesday night in Chicago. Game 1 is Duke vs. Michigan State. Game 2 is Kansas vs. Kentucky. Those are the schools ranked No. 2, No. 5, No. 15 and No. 24, respectively, in Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
So this is a high-level doubleheader featuring two Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coaches (Michigan State's Tom Izzo and Kansas' Bill Self), the CBS Sports Preseason National Player of the Year (Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr), the projected No. 1 pick of the 2027 NBA Draft (Kansas' Tyran Stokes), and another player who is among the leading candidates to be the No. 1 pick in the 2028 NBA Draft (Duke's Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje).
On the sideline, heralded coaches. On the court, elite prospects.
It should be a fun night at the United Center.
Can Izzo and Fears get Michigan State past Duke's roster that is the sport's most talented? Or will the Blue Devils improve to 16-3 all-time vs. Izzo? Can Self and Stokes get the kind of early-season win that suggests Kansas won't be falling short of the Sweet 16 come March for what would be the fifth straight year? Or will Kentucky coach Mark Pope cool his seat with an upset of the Jayhawks?
Lots of big questions.
Answers are on the way.
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | Rueben Chinyelu finished with 21 points and eight rebounds in Thursday's 88-57 win over Jacksonville. The Gators' next game is Tuesday at Florida State. | -- | 2-0 |
| 2 | Duke | Patrick Ngongba II finished with 28 points and nine rebounds in Thursday's 113-52 win over Coastal Carolina. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against Michigan State. | -- | 2-0 |
| 3 | Illinois | Andrej Stojakovic finished with 25 points and five rebounds in Thursday's 112-70 win over Penn. The Illini's next game is Tuesday at Texas Tech. | -- | 2-0 |
| 4 | UConn | Silas Demary finished with 18 points and six steals in Monday's 83-41 win over Wagner. The Huskies' next game is Friday against Ohio State. | -- | 3-0 |
| 5 | Kansas | Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Friday's 89-45 win over Middle Tennessee. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against Kentucky. | -- | 2-0 |
| 6 | Texas | Matas Vokietaitis finished with 26 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 93-62 win over Grambling. The Longhorns' next game is Sunday against Baylor. | -- | 3-0 |
| 7 | Michigan St. | Jasiah Jervis finished with 16 points and five rebounds in Thursday's 91-61 win over Toledo. The Spartans' next game is Tuesday against Duke. | -- | 2-0 |
| 8 | Louisville | Obinna Ekezie Jr. finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 107-57 win over Morehead State. The Cardinals' next game is Nov. 15 at Memphis. | -- | 2-0 |
| 9 | Virginia | Thijs De Ridder finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday's 91-72 win over Arkansas. The Cavaliers' next game is Tuesday against Bucknell. | -- | 3-0 |
| 10 | Gonzaga | Davis Fogle finished with 22 points and six assists in Saturday's 83-62 win over New Mexico State. The Zags' next game is Saturday against LSU. | -- | 2-0 |
| 11 | St. John's | Tounde Yessoufou finished with 23 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 104-65 win over Iona. The Red Storm's next game is Wednesday against Colgate. | -- | 2-0 |
| 12 | Houston | Dedan Thomas Jr. finished with 20 points and eight assists in Sunday's 86-68 win over Cal. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Jacksonville State. | -- | 2-0 |
| 13 | UCLA | Nikola Kusturica finished with 29 points and six rebounds in Friday's 114-63 win over North Florida. The Bruins' next game is Wednesday against Arkansas Pine Bluff. | -- | 2-0 |
| 14 | Arizona | Motiejus Krivas finished with 30 points and eight rebounds in Thursday's 104-84 win over Cal Poly. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Northern Arizona. | -- | 1-1 |
| 15 | Tennessee | Terrence Hill Jr. finished with 18 points and three assists in Monday's 70-47 win over Radford. The Vols' next game is Friday against Tennessee State. | -- | 2-0 |
| 16 | Texas Tech | Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn finished with 25 points and three rebounds in Thursday's 76-58 win over Bethune-Cookman. The Red Raiders' next game is Tuesday against Illinois. | -- | 2-0 |
| 17 | Miami | Malik Reneau finished with 16 points and five rebounds in Monday's 89-51 win over North Florida. The Hurricanes' next game is Friday against North Alabama. | -- | 2-1 |
| 18 | Arkansas | Jordan Smith Jr. missed nine of the 17 shots he attempted in Sunday's 91-72 loss to Virginia. The Razorbacks' next game is Wednesday against Robert Morris. | -- | 1-1 |
| 19 | Kentucky | Zoom Diallo finished with 16 points and three rebounds in Friday's 89-80 win over James Madison. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Kansas. | -- | 2-0 |
| 20 | Alabama | London Jemison finished with 20 points and three assists in Monday's 109-68 win over Oakland. The Crimson Tide's next game is Friday against Seton Hall. | -- | 3-0 |
| 21 | Michigan | Elliot Cadeau missed eight of the 11 shots he attempted in Friday's 85-77 loss to UConn. The Wolverines' next game is Wednesday against Marquette. | -- | 1-1 |
| 22 | USC | Rodney Rice finished with 32 points and nine assists in Sunday's 93-86 win over Wichita State. The Trojans' next game is Wednesday against Cal. | -- | 2-0 |
| 23 | BYU | Robert Wright III finished with 19 points and two steals in Friday's 108-67 win over Omaha. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against Queens. | -- | 2-0 |
| 24 | Vanderbilt | Tyler Tanner finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday's 74-51 win over Wake Forest. The Commodores' next game is Tuesday against Memphis. | -- | 2-0 |
| 25 | Nebraska | Pryce Sandfort finished with 25 points and four assists in Saturday's 67-58 win over Providence. The Cornhuskers' next game is Wednesday against Lindenwood. | -- | 2-0 |
| 26 | Memphis | Jayden Reid finished with 32 points and seven assists in Saturday's 89-88 win over VCU. The Tigers' next game is Tuesday at Vanderbilt. | -- | 2-0 |
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