Watching Kentucky, Michigan State, Kansas and Duke all in the same day is a college basketball fan’s dream.
How to watch Champions Classic 2013 online, TV schedule and more
The best day in college basketball ever is on Tuesday.
Thanks to the State Farm Champions Classic, played at the United Center in Chicago, this dream is a reality. It is the first time in 30 years that four of the top five ranked teams play each other on the same day, in the same building during the regular season. It is also the earliest the top two teams in the nation have faced off since Indiana and UCLA played on Nov. 29, 1975.
Michigan State vs. Kentucky, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
The first game pits the top two teams in the country against each other. Kentucky, on the strength of its hyped freshman class, is the No. 1 team in the country, but only by a shade. The Spartans are the proven team, returning four starters from last year’s Sweet 16 team.
Wildcats freshman forward Julius Randle has been worth the hype and then some through the first two games of the season. Randle leads the Wildcats with 22.5 points and 14.5 rebounds a game, while shooting 63 percent from the floor. The backcourt of Aaron Harrison and Andrew Harrison have held their own as well.
The Harrison brothers will face a very stiff test against the Spartans backcourt. The combination of Gary Harris, Denzel Valentine and Keith Appling is one of the best in the nation and they have a wealth of experience in big games compared to the Harrisons.
Kansas vs. Duke, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
The storyline of the top two teams facing off is a good one, but the battle between uber-freshmen Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker will be the story of Tuesday night.
Wiggins finished his first career college game with 16 points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals. So far, one game into the season, Parker holds the statistical edge thanks to Duke’s offensive explosion against Davidson. The Blue Devils shot 70 percent as they defeated Davidson, 111-77. Parker scored 22 points and grabbed six rebounds in his collegiate debut.
Both games will be broadcast nationally on ESPN, and can also be watched online on WatchESPN.
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