Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo smiles while speaking with Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. during a college basketball game between the Michigan State Spartans and Duke Blue Devils at the 2026 State Farm Champions Classic. (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

After a wire-to-wire victory against Duke, a team he has historically struggled against, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo praised the State Farm Champions Classic.

“This game is so important to me,” Izzo said. “I love the atmosphere.”

But will the Champions Classic — an annual doubleheader, which began in 2011 and features four college basketball bluebloods — continue to endure in new college landscape, where more teams are getting name, image and likeness (NIL) money to play in games?

From the Players Era tournament, for example, participating schools will reportedly receive more than $1 million. And Duke’s new contract with Amazon to stream three of its games will reportedly reward the Blue Devils with more than $5 million per season.

The Champions Classic, a five-way partnership between Duke, Michigan State, Kansas, Kentucky and ESPN, is slated to go through the 2027-28 season.

The last extension for the Champions Classic was announced in November of 2024, but talks have started about continuing the series. Because renewal of it has been announced in three-year increments, there is a good chance that there will be an announcement next year, and NIL opportunities are potentially in play.

“We look forward to continuing the Champions Classic through our current agreement,” ESPN said in a statement, “and plan for it to remain a fixture on the college basketball calendar well beyond 2028.”

ESPN is certainly interested in continuing the series. After all, the Champions Classic has averaged at least 1.5 million viewers across the doubleheader in every year of the event, and last year’s doubleheader averaged 1.7 million viewers, hitting a three-year high.

The fact that it is a one-game tournament makes it easier to preserve rather than events like the Battle 4 Atlantis or the Southwest Maui Invitational, which go on for days at remote locations.

The Champions Classic has rotated between NBA arenas in New York City, Chicago, Indianapolis and Atlanta. The destinations are not only major basketball markets, but also in closer proximity to the four schools.

Sometimes the event kicks off the college basketball season, but because it was an election year, it was pushed back a week.

“It’s as good a way to start off a season,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said.

This year’s iteration featured Izzo’s Michigan State team beating Duke for just the fourth time in 19 tries. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas defeated Kentucky, 89-69.

Among all the high-profile, early-season games, Self called the Champions Classic unique.

“There’s still not one that has the blue bloods, the hype around it, the promotion stuff around it, and the platform,” he said.

The four participating programs — Kentucky (eight), Duke (five), Kansas (four) and Michigan State (two) — have combined for 19 national championships. Since the event launched, the Champions Classic has produced 10 Final Four teams, and all four teams have appeared in at least one Final Four.

“You see Michigan State in there with Duke, Kansas and Kentucky,” Izzo said. “Damn it, that just makes me feel (proud).”

Those powerhouse schools all have a good partnership. Although there has been interest from other programs, there has not been serious thought about replacing the existing colleges or adding new ones.

“We’re proud of what we’ve built alongside Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State,” ESPN said. “College basketball continues to evolve, but the Champions Classic has stood the test of time.”