The CBS Sports Classic is bringing a blue blood aboard for the remainder of the 2020s.
Kansas is joining the prestigious four-team event, which is played every December in the lead-up to Christmas. The Jayhawks will be in the field with CBS Sports Classic mainstays Kentucky, North Carolina and Ohio State, all of which have been a part of the Classic since its initiation in 2014.
Best of all: The four schools have signed a four-year agreement through 2029, reinforcing the CBS Sports Classic as one of the biggest college basketball affairs of the nonconference schedule.
The 2026 doubleheader will be staged at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 19, marking the third time the World’s Most Famous Arena has hosted. Kansas will play Ohio State, UK will play UNC next season in Midtown Manhattan.
There’s no waiting on the 2027, 2028 and 2029 matchups, either. The schedule has been finalized for all four seasons into the end of the decade. The venues for 2027-29 are to be determined, but here are the head-to-heads.
CBS Sports
The Classic underwent a roster change last year in light of UCLA backing out of the event after Bruins coach Mick Cronin was frequently vocal about some of his issues with UCLA’s conference schedule due to its geographic separation in the expanded, 18-team Big Ten. St. John’s was a substitute for the Bruins in the 2025 CBS Sports Classic, offering up a sweet storyline: Rick Pitino coaching against his former team, Kentucky, and his former captain, Mark Pope.
With Kansas aboard, the multi-game event is poised to be as prominent as ever with representatives from the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and SEC.
Tickets for the CBS Sports Classic, including fan travel packages before the general on-sale date, will be made available in August. CBSSportsClassic.com/tickets will also provide updates and alerts about the event later this year.
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