Champions Classic...WOW!

[Fuqua's Finest]

Hey guys, not sure if this has been posted but check out this link from ESPN. It's about the Champions Classic involving 4 national powers, Duke, Kentucky, Michigan St., and Kansas.

This event is going to be the kickoff of college basketball and it's going to be great! Enjoy!

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5898231

[MulletMan]

Hey guys, not sure if this has been posted but check out this link from ESPN. It's about the Champions Classic involving 4 national powers, Duke, Kentucky, Michigan St., and Kansas.

This event is going to be the kickoff of college basketball and it's going to be great! Enjoy!

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5898231

I just came on to post this. Awesome!

I guess this is the only way that we could get games with Kansas and UK since they aren't willing to do a home and home, not wanting to play in Cameron and what not.

[4decadedukie]

Wow, this is really spectacular. I cannot think of a finer way to spend next November fifteenth.

[diveonthefloor]

Again points out why the scheduling of college hoops is better than that of college pigskin.

[Devil07]

Fantastic! I love the idea of this and think it's a terrific way to kick off the season. The potential for a quality win combined with the making of a big media event is a great incentive. I really don't see much downside either since a loss to a top-tier opponent early in the year isn't going to hurt any of the teams. And of course, I do find some pleasure in the fact that our neighbors down the road weren't included in this little party

[JasonEvans]

The first Champions Classic is set for Madison Square Garden in New York, with Duke facing Michigan State and Kentucky meeting Kansas on Nov. 15, 2011.

Year 2 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta will see Michigan State vs. Kansas and Duke vs. Kentucky on Nov. 13, 2012. The third event, Nov. 12, 2013 at the United Center in Chicago, will have Michigan State playing Kentucky and Kansas playing Duke.

What an amazing series! Great for the college game to have this. It is going to be THE KICKOFF to the season the next 3 years. It is hugely prestigious to be invited to be part of this. Read what Tom Izzo is saying about it, he is ecstatic that Mich State was included.

I sorta wish we were getting someone other than MSU in the first year as we played them this season and it has been a while since we played Kansas and Kentucky (we had great series with each of them for a while).

I have to say, the folks down 15-501 have got to be furious right now. This was a case of someone picking the top 4 teams in the sport right now for a special event and they were left out. A year ago, that would have been unthinkable.

I can see Syracuse, UConn, Georgetown, UNC, and Ohio State all being frustrated at not being a part of this. They could try to do it on their own, I suppose. They could call it the "Not Quite Champions Classic." 2 years ago, it would have been unthinkable for UCLA to be left out of this.

-Jason "I am sooo getting tickets to this when it comes to the Ga Dome in 2 years!!!!" Evans

[NSDukeFan]

What an amazing series! Great for the college game to have this. It is going to be THE KICKOFF to the season the next 3 years. It is hugely prestigious to be invited to be part of this. Read what Tom Izzo is saying about it, he is ecstatic that Mich State was included.

I sorta wish we were getting someone other than MSU in the first year as we played them this season and it has been a while since we played Kansas and Kentucky (we had great series with each of them for a while).

I have to say, the folks down 15-501 have got to be furious right now. This was a case of someone picking the top 4 teams in the sport right now for a special event and they were left out. A year ago, that would have been unthinkable.

I can see Syracuse, UConn, Georgetown, UNC, and Ohio State all being frustrated at not being a part of this. They could try to do it on their own, I suppose. They could call it the "Not Quite Champions Classic." 2 years ago, it would have been unthinkable for UCLA to be left out of this.

-Jason "I am sooo getting tickets to this when it comes to the Ga Dome in 2 years!!!!" Evans

The other great thing is that this is not replacing the Maui invitational Duke and Kansas are going to as well. What an opening to the season for Duke next year. Add in a game against a top notch Big Televelve team and the team should be well tested in the early going.
From the same article the OP posted:

Self noted that Kansas and Duke will head from the game in New York next season to the loaded Maui Invitational that includes Tennessee, Memphis, UCLA, Georgetown, Michigan and host Chaminade.

[BD80]

... I do find some pleasure in the fact that our neighbors down the road weren't included in this little party

This is delicious! Even Izzo admits that MSU is the answer to the "which one doesn't belong" question.

UCLA and unc are the other programs that should have been considered. However, UCLA has been kind of down, and I can see ESPN wanting to pick teams from different conferences/ geographic regions, eliminating unc once Duke was in. I wouldn't have minded Syracuse if MSU had declined.

It does show that Duke was the choice over unc. Classic champions.

[blazindw]

This is going to be epic! I'm going to do my best to go to the games all 3 years, starting with next year in the Garden. I wonder if this means we play our annual NY/NJ game in the Meadowlands again (or Newark) since we will already be playing at the Garden.

[BD80]

The other great thing is that this is not replacing the Maui invitational Duke and Kansas are going to as well. What an opening to the season for Duke next year. Add in a game against a top notch Big Televelve team and the team should be well tested in the early going. ...

Hey Kyrie, feel like sticking around another year to play in Madison Square Garden (for a WINNING team), take a trip out to Maui, and make another deep run in the tourney?

(and beat the snot out of the tarheels 2 or 3 more times?)

[CharlestonDevil]

The "C Double N C" is classic for that reason, an assembly of national powers that want to meet and prove their mettle early on and kerlina didn't make the cut.

Just one more tournament UNC fails to make.
It'll save Carolina a round trip ticket to Puerto Rico.
Now Roy has time to pursue 2 NIT banners.
Maybe Chapel Hill can start a season kickoff with College of Charleston.

But in all seriousness folks... I hate Carolina.

[SCMatt33]

This is delicious! Even Izzo admits that MSU is the answer to the "which one doesn't belong" question.

UCLA and unc are the other programs that should have been considered. However, UCLA has been kind of down, and I can see ESPN wanting to pick teams from different conferences/ geographic regions, eliminating unc once Duke was in. I wouldn't have minded Syracuse if MSU had declined.

It does show that Duke was the choice over unc. Classic champions.

I don't think it's so much that they wanted teams from different conferences, but two teams from the same conference limits it to two possible matchups, kind of like how the new Indiana thing has to deal with IU and Purdue so they only have two possibilities.

The other thing I'm curious about is how the negotiations were conducted. I'm sure the schools were more directly involved than simply being invited to join the event. I'm actually a little surprised that the Coach K didn't get the year with the Duke-UK matchup in MSG, but I guess they all agree to have what is probably the most anticipated game at the biggest venue. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that outside of ticket allotments, the seats sold to the public will be filled with UK fans.

I also wonder what will happen after three years. Will they try and renew as is or will they try and find four new "champions" for a new 3-year cycle. I would imagine that it would be carolina, IU, UCLA (assuming those two are back "up") and maybe UConn (since they haven't gotten the Big East in this time).

Either way, we end up with a great three year scheduling arrangement against two great programs (plus UK)! I'm excited.

[CameronBornAndBred]

That will be an insane November for Duke...remember we are also going to be playing in the Maui Invitational, which has an expanded field and also includes Kansas. (Plus Georgetown and UCLA).
How are the 2 tournaments going to work? The schedules seem to overlap. This is Maui...

Starting in 2011, the tournament will be played in three parts:
1. Opening Games:
a. Seven games between seven Maui-bound teams and four mainland teams.
b. These games will be played at the Maui-bound teams' home arenas from Friday, Nov. 11 through Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011
2. Regional Games:
a. Four games played between four mainland teams
b. These games will be played at a mainland team's home arena from Saturday, Nov. 19 to Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011
3. Championship Round:
a. The current eight-team, three-day bracket event
b. These games will be played on Maui from Monday, Nov. 21 to Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011.

http://www.mauiinvitational.com/Story.asp?story_id=114

[Lord Ash]

Fantastic, that will be a LOT of fun. Great to see the biggest names in college basketball in there!

I have a feeling that they will rotate teams every three years, and it will likely feature four other big-name programs going forward.

[nocilla]

So from what I read in that article, it will just be 2 games and not a tournament. Is that right?

[SCMatt33]

So from what I read in that article, it will just be 2 games and not a tournament. Is that right?

Yes, it will be kind of like the Jimmy V Classic was last night.

[CameronBornAndBred]

So from what I read in that article, it will just be 2 games and not a tournament. Is that right?

Ahh, so that answers my question about the "two tournaments"..still..what an insane November for us. (And Kansas)

[Billy Dat]

I sorta wish we were getting someone other than MSU in the first year as we played them this season and it has been a while since we played Kansas and Kentucky (we had great series with each of them for a while).

Here, Here...I saw the headline, rushed to see our opponent, and was very disappointed. Maybe Cal said he wouldn't play Duke at MSG...I've heard him disparage Duke claiming MSG is a neutral site. I am sure they kept Duke and Kansas apart due to the potential meeting in Maui...hopefully, then, we'll see someone other than MSU in the ACC/Big 10 game.

[JasonEvans]

I have a feeling that they will rotate teams every three years, and it will likely feature four other big-name programs going forward.

I dunno about rotate, but I imagine they will reexamine the field every 3 years to ensure that the right teams are in it. If Duke and/or some of the others still seem to be the logical choice, then they would stick around. If some other team makes more sense then they would get the nod.

3 years ago, UNC and UCLA would have been no-brainers for it. Duke likely would have been left out as would Kentucky. In fact, I think the lineup 3 years ago would have been UNC, UCLA, UConn, and Florida.

It shows you how much the landscape of the game can change year to year.

-Jason "the event's credibility demands teams on top of the game-- if that is us, then I bet we continue to be a part of it" Evans

[snowdenscold]

Wait, so next year we play Mich. St. and UK and KU face off? Will that rotate around for the three years, meaning we'll play each of the other three teams once over three years?