Downloadable ESPN Images: https://bit.ly/2aZzumK
Previous Renewal Release (through 2016): https://es.pn/18aj1Bf

• Marquee event pits four of the nation’s best – Duke, Kansas, Kentucky & Michigan State
• Returns to Chicago, Indianapolis & New York City

The State Farm Champions Classic – an early-season neutral-site doubleheader featuring Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State – will continue through the 2019 season. The doubleheader, which began in 2011, will be played in Chicago (2017), Indianapolis (2018) and New York City (2019). The marquee matchups will continue to be the culminating games of ESPN’s College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon that provides more than 24 hours of consecutive basketball coverage to mark the start of the college basketball season.

“We are pleased to extend the Champions Classic for a new three-year term into the 2019 college basketball season,” said Pete Derzis, senior vice president, ESPN Events. “This marquee event will continue to showcase four teams that represent the very best of college basketball and its rich history.”

This year’s sixth annual State Farm Champions Classic will be played on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016, from Madison Square Garden in New York City featuring Kentucky vs. Michigan State (7 p.m.) and Duke vs. Kansas (9:30 p.m.). Tickets will go on sale in October, information to be announced at a later date.

Future Champions Classic Matchups

Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017 (United Center, Chicago)

• Kansas vs. Kentucky
• Duke vs. Michigan State

Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018 (Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis)

• Michigan State vs. Kansas
• Duke vs. Kentucky

Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019 (Madison Square Garden, New York City)

• Kansas vs. Duke
• Michigan State vs. Kentucky

Team Notes

• Overall record in the Champions Classic: Duke 3-2, Kentucky 3-2, Michigan State 3-2 and Kansas 1-4.
• Three of the top four all-time winningest men’s college basketball programs: Kentucky (first – 2,205), Kansas (second – 2,186) and Duke (fourth – 2,087).
• A combined 18 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championships (since 1939): Kentucky (eight), Duke (five), Kansas (three) and Michigan State (two).
• A total of 57 NCAA Final Four appearances (since 1939): Kentucky (17), Duke (16), Kansas (14) and Michigan State (10).
• A total of 31 players that participated in the Champions Classic were taken in the first round of the NBA Draft: 2012 (7), 2013 (4), 2014 (8), 2015 (8) and 2016 (4) from Kentucky (14), Duke (9), Kansas (5) and Michigan State (3).

Ratings

• Each year’s viewership has averaged 2.5 million viewers.
• The Michigan State vs. Kentucky game as part of the 2013 event was the most-watched Champions Classic with 4,002,020 viewers.
• The 2015 Kentucky vs. Duke game was the highest-rated matchup of the 2015-16 regular season with a 2.0 household rating.

Previous Results

For more information about the State Farm Champions Classic, visit the official website or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; 13 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 250-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

Collegiate Football
AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston); AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl (Houston); Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); Birmingham Bowl (Alabama); Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); Camping World Kickoff (Orlando, Fla.); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Orlando, Fla.); Popeyes Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); St. Petersburg Bowl (Florida); The Home Depot College Football Awards (Atlanta) and Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth)

Collegiate Basketball

AdvoCare Invitational (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Armed Forces Classic (Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Honolulu); DIRECTV Wooden Legacy (Orange County, Calif.); College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s (Los Angeles); Gildan Charleston Classic (South Carolina); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Men’s  Classic presented by Corona (New York City); Jimmy V Women’s Classic presented by Corona (Uncasville, Conn.); NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn, N.Y.); State Farm Champions Classic (New York City) and Tire Pros Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan)

For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.

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