ESPN Search

The Champions Classic, a two-game, one-night November event conjured up two years ago, was pretty much always guaranteed to be a success. Indeed, it was just what the sport needed -- a big, marquee event featuring four of the game's best programs and...

These days, college basketball has a flurry of early season events; it's not just Maui anymore. There are aircraft carriers and U.S. Army bases and the Champions Classic and the ESPN Tip-Off Marathon and the Battle 4 Atlantis and whatever else Michig...

The Champions Classic is a three-year men's college basketball event with round-robin match-ups featuring Duke, Michigan State, Kentucky and Kansas. It takes place each November as part of ESPN's College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon....

Yes, it's early, but John Gasaway writes that after just two games, Duke has shown enough signs for them to be taken seriously as one of the nation's best teams. Their newfound star power with Seth Curry and Mason Plumlee is the big reason why.

Story | Conversation | November 14, 2012

ATLANTA -- Quick thoughts on No. 9 Duke's 75-68 win over No. 3 Kentucky in the Champions Classic ... Overview: Like death and taxes, Duke-Kentucky is something you can count on. It's always good -- even when Christian Laettner's lone involvement i...

ATLANTA -- Quick thoughts from Michigan State's 67-64 win over Kansas in the first game of the Champions Classic. Overview: If this is what November looks like, we could be in for a heckuva basketball season. The Spartans and Jayhawks, two teams t...

The ESPN Tip-Off Marathon concludes with the marquee Champions Classic, a doubleheader in Atlanta featuring Kansas-Michigan State and Kentucky-Duke. With that in mind, we asked two of our writers to pick which one of those has the best chance to retu...

Resident ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi ranks the 10 early-season nonconference games that will have the biggest impact in determining the 2013 NCAA tournament bracket.

Blog | Conversation | November 13, 2012

When Duke, Kansas, Michigan State and Kentucky all take center stage at the Champions Classic, elite freshmen will be featured. As Dana O'Neil writes, it's another reason why we should honor Jan. 8, 1972.

Seth Greenberg explains the five key areas in which the Michigan State Spartans -- his preseason pick to win the national championship -- need to improve in order to fulfill their elite potential.

Blog | Conversation | November 13, 2012

Michigan St.-Kansas Preview

The college basketball season will tip off with a dozen back-to-back games Nov. 13 on ESPN, highlighted by Michigan State vs. Kansas and Duke vs. Kentucky in the State Farm Champions Classic.

The dead-November era in college basketball is officially over. Last year gave us the Champions Classic (a four-team rotating tournament featuring Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State) and the season-opening Carrier Classic (the aircraft carrier...

NEW ORLEANS -- Kansas versus Kentucky was the undercard on Nov. 15, the junior varsity game at the Champions Classic. Now, they are playing for the title. That night in New York at Madison Square Garden was all about Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski an...

NEW YORK -- A quick take on No. 2 Kentucky's 75-65 win over No. 11 Kansas in the second game of the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden. What it means: In a battle of two of the most storied programs in college basketball, the Wildcats prev...

NEW YORK -- A quick take on No. 6 Duke's 74-69 win over Michigan State in the first game of the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden. What it means: Mike Krzyzewski collects career win No. 903, making him the all-time leader in Division I hi...