photo by: AP Photo/Erin Hooley

Kansas guard Elmarko Jackson, left, and guard Jamari McDowell celebrate their team's win over Kentucky during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, in Chicago.

New York — Amid a constantly changing college basketball calendar, the Champions Classic lives on.

The early-season event, which is already scheduled to continue through 2028, will have its 2026 edition take place at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 10, 2026, ESPN Events announced on Tuesday.

Kansas will face Kentucky and Michigan State will take on Duke as part of the event’s three-year rotation. The Jayhawks have beaten UK in their three previous Champions Classic meetings, including an 89-84 result in 2023 which also took place at the United Center. The Wildcats still lead the all-time series 24-12.

KU is 3-1 in Champions Classic games played at the United Center, with the lone defeat a 79-73 loss to Michigan State in 2015. The annual competition has taken place primarily in Atlanta, Chicago, Indianapolis and New York over the course of its 15 seasons and counting.

Self recently declared Madison Square Garden, the 2025 site, the best location for the Champions Classic, followed by the United Center.

“I think Indy’s really good,” Self said on Saturday, “but there’s something about Chicago, and maybe it’s because it’s the second-largest alumni base we have behind Kansas City, but there’s something about Chicago and playing in the United Center.”

Much of the 2026-27 KU men’s basketball schedule remains a mystery at this early stage. The Champions Classic’s earlier date suggests it will return to the second week of the season. The Jayhawks will make a long-awaited return trip to Storrs, Connecticut, as part of their home-and-home series with UConn, and will face Missouri again at the T-Mobile Center in the final year of the renewed Border Showdown. Self has said KU is preparing to play a whopping four games at the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas in 2026; it is reportedly set to expand to 32 teams for next year’s edition.

Self has also expressed interest in future home-and-home series with North Carolina and Duke.

New look for New York

KU introduced what it is calling the Kansas Retro 1988 jersey for use in Tuesday’s game against Duke. It’s a throwback jersey that attempts to evoke what “Danny and the Miracles” wore when they claimed the national title that year (and beat Duke along the way in the Final Four for the Jayhawks’ first-ever victory over the Blue Devils).

Unveiled on Monday in a video featuring current KU forward Bryson Tiller intercut with clips of the legendary 1988 team, the uniform features an old-fashioned font and crimson, blue and yellow striping around the collar and the sleeves of the jersey as well as the bottom of the shorts.

Players Era format explained

What is currently clear is that KU will follow up Tuesday’s game against Duke by facing Notre Dame on Monday and Syracuse next Tuesday, with each game at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at 2:30 p.m. Central Time.

What has not frequently been clearly stated is how KU’s next opponent will be determined, or when the Jayhawks can expect to play against that team.

Essentially, KU will most likely play its third game of the multi-team event on Wednesday, Nov. 26, unless it finishes ninth or 10th among the 10 teams taking part in matchups at MGM Grand Garden Arena. That group includes the Jayhawks, Fighting Irish and Orange, as well as Alabama, Gonzaga, Houston, Maryland, Rutgers, Tennessee and UNLV.

If KU does end up ninth or 10th — essentially, if it loses to both Notre Dame and Syracuse with bad point differentials — it will have an off day on the 26th before facing the other low-level team at Michelob Ultra Arena at 1 p.m. Central Time on Nov. 27 (Thanksgiving).

Otherwise, depending on its positioning in the 10-team group, it will take part in a game at MGM Grand Garden Arena at some point on Nov. 26: the championship (8:30 p.m. Central), the third-place game (11:15 p.m.), the fifth-place game (2:30 p.m.) or the seventh-place game (12 p.m.).

After KU concludes the Players Era, its next game will be on Dec. 2 at Allen Fieldhouse against UConn.