Eight prime hoops teams to play over two nights

Eight of the pinnacle 13 teams in college basketball will highlight a two-evening slate of marquee games from the Champions Classic and Jimmy V Men’s Classic firstly put of December.

ESPN announced the significant factors for the two nonconference events on Wednesday.

The Sing Farm Champions Classic is determined for Dec. 1, featuring No. 9 Duke facing No. 13 Michigan Sing and No. 10 Kentucky playing No. 6 Kansas. The Blue Devils will host the Spartans, while Kentucky and Kansas will play at Bankers Lifestyles Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Jimmy V Men’s Classic will happen on Dec. 2, with No. 12 Tennessee going against No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 Baylor playing No. 8 Illinois. Every of these games will more than likely be conducted at Bankers Lifestyles.

“Or now not it is enormous for college basketball after lacking March Insanity,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said.

Now not even handed some of the games will have fans in attendance, however the coaches are appropriate ecstatic to receive assist in motion.

“Or now not it is enormous for the game,” Kansas coach Invoice Self said. “We knowing the ideally suited manner to birth the season would be with the ideally suited splash we could per chance additionally. In case you are restricted to ideally suited nine nonconference games, the different to play such excessive-profile games could per chance additionally be now not as excessive as it outdated to be. It offers the game a lot-major consideration.”

“I feel it is healthy for society, I feel it is healthy for sports fans, I feel it is healthy for the game of basketball,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “What greater manner to discontinue it than in the heartland of The US, in Indianapolis, with so many Closing Fours and huge venues. Or now not it is basketball country. You bring eight of the pinnacle teams in, the history of the coaches, history of the functions. You genuinely birth your season, you showcase your season. I’m infected we’re a segment of that.”

The Jimmy V Ladies folks’s Classic will happen on Dec. 4 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, featuring No. 5 Louisville vs. No. 3 UConn.

“ESPN Occasions is chuffed to present a chance for these excessive-profile functions to compete against one but another in the Sing Farm Champions Classic and Jimmy V Classic as we proceed to navigate the irregular circumstances surrounding this season,” ESPN Occasions vice president Clint Overby said. “We stare forward to safely staging these events and building the momentum for what we hope will more than likely be a thrilling college basketball season.”

The Champions Classic began in 2011, with Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan Sing playing against one but another in a doubleheader every descend. It was at the birth put scheduled to happen in Chicago however moved to Indianapolis attributable to the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the college basketball time table.

“In the previous, as soon as we have opened the season with Michigan Sing or Duke or Kentucky, you have had exhibition games, you have had some manner to quiz at the least a little bit of bit,” Self said. “Or now not it is going down a week later. So going into this specific sport, it goes to potentially be the ideally suited ready we have been to play each more than a couple of.”

“For us, the Champions has been a enormous manner to kick off the season for 10 years. Or now not it is even handed some of the highlights of my season,” Michigan Sing coach Tom Izzo said. “I feel it is extra special. Or now not it is a ways a enormous manner to kick it off … I’m appropriate having a stare forward to it. And I’m having a stare forward to staring at some of the [other games].

“That evening goes to be something each person seems going to stare forward to.”

The Jimmy V Classic, named for legendary college basketball coach Jim Valvano, began in 1995 and raises money and consciousness for the V Foundation for Most cancers Research.

“Jimmy V has been a bucket checklist merchandise for me,” Drew said. “Or now not it is such a enormous cause, such a enormous tournament. So to play in it, playing an opponent fancy Illinois, these are games your avid gamers receive keen about, fans receive keen about. I return with Coach Underwood; I definitely effect now not have anything else however admire for the wide job he is executed wherever he is been. And along with your entire uncertainty that each our pupil-athletes have had to address, them having a chance to envision themselves against the ideally suited in the nation, I believed that was genuinely significant.”

“I feel it is correct that, one, we’re attending to play. Security is the principle and major thing. Nonetheless I’m in a position to exclaim you that our avid gamers need to play basketball,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “Or now not it is what they discontinue, it is what they need to discontinue. So I’m infected for them, infected for us, infected for the basketball world. Closing season ended so . There was no discontinue to it. So appropriate the real fact that you must to well additionally bring these teams collectively. I’ve by no manner been crazy about preseason predictions, and with COVID, you by no manner know where teams will more than likely be. Each person has had to waste and dawdle a pair more than a couple of cases. Nonetheless the passion overrides all of it.”

Time table for these events:

Tuesday, Dec. 1


(Champions Classic)


No. 13 Michigan Sing at No. 9 Duke (7: 30 p.m., ESPN)


No. 10 Kentucky vs. No. 6 Kansas (9: 30 p.m., ESPN)

Wednesday, Dec. 2


(Jimmy V Men’s Classic)


No. 12 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Gonzaga (7 p.m., ESPN)


No. 2 Baylor vs. No. 8 Illinois (10 p.m., ESPN)

Friday, Dec. 4


(Jimmy V Ladies folks’s Classic)


No. 5 Louisville vs. No. 3 UConn (7 p.m., ESPN)