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Tale of the tape: No. 2 Duke and No. 5 Michigan State open the Champions Classic tonight in Chicago cover
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Tale of the tape: No. 2 Duke and No. 5 Michigan State open the Champions Classic tonight in Chicago

Duke's shot-blocking front line meets Jeremy Fears Jr. at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, and No. 15 Kansas and No. 24 Kentucky follow at 9:30 with the projected No. 1 pick in the 2027 draft on the floor.

By Beat Chuck Basketball Desk / Published November 10, 2026

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  • The 16th Champions Classic is tonight at the United Center in Chicago, and all four teams come in 2-0. No. 2 Duke plays No. 5 Michigan State at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. No. 15 Kansas and No. 24 Kentucky follow at 9:30. The College Football Playoff rankings show airs in between, at about 9.

    Duke vs. Michigan State

    | | No. 2 Duke | No. 5 Michigan State | |---|---|---| | Record | 2-0 | 2-0 | | Fast-break points, first two games | 52 | 56 | | Player to watch | Patrick Ngongba II (28 points vs. Coastal Carolina) | Jeremy Fears Jr. (preseason All-American) | | Big men | Ngongba (6-11), Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje (7-2) | Anton Bonke (10.0 points, 10.0 rebounds) |

    Duke is the only team in the country in the top 10 in both block percentage and steal percentage, ESPN's Jeff Borzello wrote. Michigan State's question is Fears, who went 0 for 10 from the field against Duke last December. The Spartans have also fouled a lot, with 21 against Quinnipiac and 29 free throws allowed to Toledo, and Ngongba has already been to the line 16 times.

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  • Duke is chasing its 16th win against Tom Izzo. Michigan State has lost five straight against AP top-five teams at neutral sites, according to ESPN.

    Kansas vs. Kentucky

    These are the two winningest programs in Division I history, and Kentucky leads the series 10-7. Kansas has Tyran Stokes, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2027 draft, along with sixth-year forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, who is averaging 13.0 points after four seasons at Purdue. Kentucky has made 37% of its 3s and 65% of its 2s, and Milan Momcilovic is 7 of 17 from deep.

    ESPN's Myron Medcalf wrote that the game could matter for Mark Pope's job standing in a crucial season.

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