Kansas threatens Duke basketball's Champions Classic supremacy

The annual State Farm Champions Classic began in 2011, featuring two matchups per year on the same night, always involving the Duke basketball program plus fellow heavyweights Kansas, Kentucky, and Michigan State.

Entering this year's edition on Tuesday night at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the Blue Devils' 7-4 record in the event gives Duke the all-time edge over the other participants. Kansas is next at 6-5, then Kentucky at 5-6, and Michigan State at 4-7.

Duke became the first outright Champions Classic leader by winning its first two games in 2011 (versus Michigan State) and 2012 (versus Kentucky), then held that distinction or a tie for the best record across the next three years until Kentucky took sole control of the lead in 2016.

Then Duke reeled off three straight wins, including the memorable 118-84 thumping of the Wildcats by Zion Williamson & Co. in 2018 that delivered outright Champions Classic supremacy to the Blue Devils again. They've remained alone in the top spot ever since.

But the Jayhawks, who rank No. 6 in the AP Top 25 and face the No. 7 Blue Devils this go-round following the 7 p.m. ET Kentucky-Michigan State bout, have been steadily climbing the leaderboard. After starting 1-4, they've won five of their past six Champions Classic meetings, with the lone loss coming at the hands of Duke in 2019.

Furthermore, consider that Kansas is 2-1 against Duke in their Champions Classic series. So if we're saying that the head-to-head record serves as the primary tiebreaker, Kansas has a shot at overtaking the Blue Devils' spot on the throne by beating Duke on Tuesday night.

Both bluebloods are 2-0 this season via comfortable wins at home over inferior opponents.

And both will be shorthanded, in a way, unless five-star Duke basketball freshman Dariq Whitehead unexpectedly makes his debut so soon from the fracture in his right foot that he suffered in late August. Kansas will be without head coach Bill Self and assistant Kurtis Townsend, who are halfway through their four-game suspensions.

The scheduled tipoff time between Duke and Kansas is 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN (stream live on fuboTV; start your free trial here).

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