2025 Champions Classic Set for Return to New York

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The premier early season college basketball event will return to the bright lights of New York in 2025. The Champions Classic has announced that the 2025 matchups, featuring Kentucky vs. Michigan State, will take place in Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 18, 2025.

The neutral site doubleheader that also includes Duke and Kansas, began in 2011. This year’s event will see Kentucky face Duke at 9:30 p.m. ET from State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Nov. 12. Duke and Kansas will tipoff at 7 p.m.

The event has traveled to New York, Atlanta, Chicago and Indianapolis during its 14-year tenure.

Kentucky and Michigan State last met in the event on Nov. 15, 2022, in Indianapolis, with the Spartans taking an 86-77 victory in double overtime. The last time the teams met in New York at Madison Square Garden, it was the No. 2 Wildcats upsetting the No. 1 Spartans by a 69-62 margin. All-time, UK leads the series 14-12. Kentucky has won each of the last two meetings when the game is played in New York.

Tickets for the 2025 event will go on sale in the fall. Fans can sign up for first access through the event pre-sale at: https://espnevents.com/champions-classic/pre-sale-sign-up.

Champions Classic History:

• The event features three of the top four all-time winningest men’s college basketball programs: Kentucky (first), Kansas (second) and Duke (fourth), while Michigan State has made 26 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, the second-longest active streak in Division I.

• Since the Champions Classic began in 2011, all four teams have reached the Final Four at least once, with Kentucky (2011-12), Duke (2014-15) and Kansas (2021-22) winning national titles.
• The four participating programs have combined for 19 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championships (since 1939): Kentucky (eight), Duke (five), Kansas (four) and Michigan State (two).
• A total of 69 NBA first round draft selections have played in the Champions Classic, or an average of 5.3 first-rounders every year.
• All-time team records in the Champions Classic: Duke 8-5, Kansas 8-5, Kentucky 5-8, Michigan State 5-8.

For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and on the web at UKathletics.com.