Big news of the day is the announcement that Kentucky has entered into a three-year agreement to play in the Champions Classic, which will pit four of the nation’s top programs in college basketball over a three-year span.UK will play Kansas next year in the first year of the Classic on Nov. 15 in Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Cats will play Duke in 2012 in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and Michigan State in 2013 in the United Center in Chicago. Don’t have too much to add other onto the release that we have on the front page other than the quotes from each head coach participating in the Classic. Here is what each coach had to say: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.”

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