Duke-michigan State Leads a Star-studded Top 25 Hoops Slate
WHO:
Fox News - Michigan State freshman Jasiah Jervis led the Spartans in scoring in their latest game; 7-foot Ethan Taylor is among the team’s newer players.
CBS Sports - Florida State center Marcis “Baby Shaq” Ponder is a freshman.
CBS Sports - Vanderbilt defenders Chandler Bing, Tyler Tanner and TO Barrett are expected to guard Memphis point guard Jayden Reid.
Fox News - Texas Tech returns sharpshooter Donovan Atwell, who made 130 three-pointers last season, and Darrion Williams, who returned after spending a year at NC State. New guards Cruz Davis and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn each averaged more than 20 points last season at Hofstra and UNLV, respectively.
Fox News - Illinois returns the Ivisic brothers, Tomislav and Zvonimir, and added Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks and freshman Quentin Coleman. Guards Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell departed.
Fox News - Kansas added freshman Tyran Stokes, described as the nation’s top recruit, and Purdue transfer Trey Kaufman-Renn, who averaged 14.2 points and 8.3 rebounds last season. Freshman Taylen Kinney and Toledo transfer Leroy Blyden Jr. may take on more responsibility after Melvin Council Jr.’s injury.
Fox News - Kentucky added Washington guard Zoom Diallo and Furman’s Alex Wilkins. Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic made 136 three-pointers and shot 48.7% from three last season; he scored 24 points on six threes in Kentucky’s opener against Manhattan.
Fox News - Duke, coached by Jon Scheyer, and No. 5 Michigan State, coached by Tom Izzo, are the main teams in the Champions Classic matchup.
CBS Sports - Duke is ranked No. 2 and Michigan State No. 5; No. 15 Kansas faces No. 24 Kentucky in the other Champions Classic game.
Fox News - Michigan State returns point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., who averaged 15.2 points and led the nation with 9.4 assists per game, and forward Coen Carr, who averaged 12 points and 5.4 rebounds. It must replace starting big men Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper.
Fox News - Duke returns Patrick Ngongba II, Caleb Foster, Dame Sarr and Cayden Boozer, and added Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell. Ngongba scored 28 points against Coastal Carolina; Boozer recorded 12 assists.
CNN - Kentucky coach Mark Pope called the current era “the best time to be a coach, man,” adding, “It’s gotta be, right?”
CNN - Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington described the sport as being “at the forefront of the chaotic instability” and said, “We’re leading it.” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said he had added two fifth-year players and was waiting on a third.
WHAT:
Fox News - Michigan State beat Quinnipiac by 37 points and Toledo by 30 to open the season 2-0.
Fox News - Coach Tom Izzo has a 3-15 record against Duke.
Fox News - Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland led the Red Raiders to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first three seasons, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2025.
Fox News - Texas Tech finished last season 23-11 and lost to Alabama in the NCAA Tournament’s second round.
Fox News - Illinois finished 28-9 and reached its first Final Four since 2005.
CBS Sports - Illinois freshman Quentin Coleman made 85% of his two-point attempts, and senior Andrej Stojaković made 68% of his.
CBS Sports - CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno picked Florida State +10, Duke -6.5, Vanderbilt -15, Texas Tech +1.5 and Kentucky +4.5.
Fox News - Illinois scored 232 points in its first two games; Texas Tech had won 48 consecutive nonconference home games.
CBS Sports - Texas Tech senior Jamichael Stillwell was cleared to return after a Lubbock judge granted him a temporary restraining order.
CBS Sports - Memphis is without Nemanja Popovic for four games. Vanderbilt reached No. 7 in KenPom after wins over Bellarmine and Wake Forest.
Fox News - Kansas opened at No. 17 in the AP Poll, fifth in KenPom and sixth at TeamRankings.
CNN - Duke, Illinois, UConn, Michigan State, Texas and Virginia did not seek court-approved additional fifth-year players; Arizona, Tennessee and Houston tried but failed to add one. Florida added Denzel Aberdeen.
CNN - Among the six schools that opted out of fifth-year players, all but Texas ranked in KenPom’s top 100 for roster continuity. CNN reported that only one national champion in the preceding decade, UConn in 2023, ranked outside the top 100 in either roster continuity or Division I experience.
Fox News - Michigan State went 27-8 and reached the Sweet 16 last season; Duke went 35-3 before losing in the Elite Eight to UConn on a buzzer-beater by Braylon Mullins.
Fox News - Duke lost leading scorers Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans to the NBA. KenPom and TeamRankings preseason ratings placed Duke first and Michigan State eighth.
CBS Sports - Illinois, ranked No. 3, visits No. 16 Texas Tech. Illinois forward David Mirković is injured; Andrej Stojaković scored 45 points in 24 minutes this season.
Fox News - Illinois is without Mirković after foot surgery and an appendectomy, and forward Jake Davis is out with a shoulder injury. Texas Tech forward JT Toppin is recovering from an ACL tear and targeting a return by the end of December.
Fox News - Kansas guard Melvin Council Jr. broke his foot in practice and is out. He averaged 12.7 points and 5.1 assists last season.
CBS Sports - The schedule also includes No. 1 Florida at Florida State, Memphis at No. 22 Vanderbilt, and Illinois at Texas Tech. Memphis opened 2-0 and beat Iowa State as a double-digit underdog.
CNN - The article reports 54 players competing in the SEC, Big Ten, Big East, ACC and Big 12 after temporary restraining orders granted eligibility for a fifth year; 15 others had not been cleared. About 2,500 players entered the transfer portal.
WHERE:
Fox News - Duke and Michigan State play at the United Center in Chicago.
CBS Sports - Illinois travels to Lubbock, Texas, to play Texas Tech; Memphis visits Vanderbilt in Nashville.
CNN - The article describes eligibility lawsuits and court rulings in California and Ohio, and reports that a Kentucky judge reversed an earlier ruling involving Mark Mitchell.
WHEN:
Fox News - The Duke–Michigan State game is listed for 7:00 p.m. ET; Illinois–Texas Tech for 8:00 p.m. ET; Kansas–Kentucky for 9:30 p.m. ET.
CBS Sports - Florida–Florida State is listed for 6 p.m. ET, Duke–Michigan State for 7 p.m. ET, Memphis–Vanderbilt for 7:15 p.m. ET, Illinois–Texas Tech for 8 p.m. ET, and Kansas–Kentucky for 9:30 p.m. ET.
Fox News - Texas Tech’s JT Toppin has said he is targeting a return by the end of December.
WHY:
CBS Sports - The preview said Florida State’s home crowd could help the Seminoles keep the game against Florida close.
Fox News - Illinois’ departures of Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell left roles to fill, while the team’s first two games offered new scoring options.
CBS Sports - Texas Tech’s short-handed frontcourt and Illinois’ use of freshmen were factors described in the game preview.
Fox News - Michigan State’s key challenge is whether Fears can create shots against Duke’s defense and whether its rebuilt frontcourt can handle Duke’s size.
CNN - The article attributes roster instability to eligibility lawsuits, transfer-portal movement, and changing NCAA rules, including a five-years-of-eligibility model.
HOW:
Fox News - The article listed betting lines of Duke -7.5 with a 145.5-point total, Illinois -2.5 with a 166.5-point total, and Kansas -4.5 with a 158.5-point total.
CNN - Temporary restraining orders have allowed some players to seek an additional college season; the article says the NCAA’s five-in-five model was adopted in June.
Fox News - Fox News discloses that it may receive compensation when readers sign up with or place wagers through legal sports-betting partners.
Duke and Michigan State headline the Champions Classic in Chicago, with Duke ranked second. Kansas faces Kentucky, while third-ranked Illinois visits Texas Tech in Lubbock. Michigan State opened two-and-zero, while Illinois scored 232 points in its first two games.