Four Top Teams to Meet in ‘Champions Classic’; Daniels to Visit Kentucky This Weekend

Austin Rivers will play at Madison Square Garden in his first season at Duke when the Blue Devils face Michigan State Nov. 15, 2011 in the inaugural “Champions Classic.”

“I’m excited, man,” Rivers said by text. “It’s going to be sick.”

Kentucky, which will feature the blockbuster freshmen group of Michael Gilchrist, Anthony Davis, Marquis Teague and Kyle Wiltjer —  will meet Kansas the same night.

ESPN announced the launch next year of the three-year men’s college basketball event featuring Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State – four of the sport’s winningest programs – playing each other from a different neutral site location each year.

In 2012, Michigan State plays Kansas and Duke meets Kentucky at the Georgia Dome.

In 2013, Michigan State faces Kentucky and Duke plays Kansas at the United Center in Chicago.

“The unique Champions Classic event brings together four of the all-time best programs and coaches to create a tremendous pillar for the start of the college basketball season over the next three years,” said Nick Dawson, director, ESPN programming and acquisitions. “We appreciate the cooperation of the schools for embracing the challenge of playing the sport’s premier programs in three great basketball cities.”

The four teams have advanced to 22 Final Fours in the past 20 years and won a combined total of 16 NCAA titles: Kentucky (7), Duke (4), Kansas (3) and MSU (2).

Here are quotes from the four coaches:

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski: “The Champions Classic is new for college basketball and to be asked to participate with three programs that are at such a high level is indeed an honor for Duke. We applaud ESPN’s efforts in having the creativity and foresight to help our sport in such a fashion. It should be a terrific event each year, and we look forward to being a part of it.”

Kansas Head Coach Bill Self: “I thought it was a great idea and I think it’s great playing on neutral sites. To come back to Madison Square Garden will be great with three other unbelievable programs. I’ll bet each of these programs will sell whatever ticket allotment they have — 4 to 5,000.”

Kentucky Head Coach John Calipari: “This three-year event is a reward for how passionate these fan bases are for their teams. It’s a unique opportunity for our fans across the nation to see us play in three major cities against top-level competition. We are looking forward to the challenge and sharing it with the Big Blue Nation, the best fans in the country.”

Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo: “Being a part of the Champions Classic is a tremendous honor for our program. These are some of the premier programs in all of college basketball, not only currently, but in the history of the sport. To be included in that group shows that we’ve been able to sustain some long-term success, and is also somewhat humbling. This event is a great way to tip off the college basketball season and promote our great sport. It’s like having a Final Four in November.”

DANIELS TO VISIT KENTUCKY

2011 wing DeAndre Daniels of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.,  is going to visit Kentucky officially this weekend, per a source with knowledge. He visited Kansas and Oregon last week.

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