Starting today, Monday, at 7 p.m., ESPN tip off the opening of the college basketball season with the College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon — more than 29 hours of consecutive basketball with 16 men’s matchups and two women’s games across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. The marathon will conclude Tuesday, Nov. 12, with the third installment of the State Farm Champions Classic – No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 1 Kentucky at 7:30 p.m. and No. 5 Kansas vs. No. 4 Duke at 9:30 p.m. – from the United Center in Chicago. For two games, coaches will wear microphones –Scott Drew of Baylor and Frank Martin of South Carolina (3 p.m.) and Mick Cronin of Cincinnati and Mark Gottfried of NC State (5 p.m.) — and for another, sound from the coaches’ mikes during the teams’ shoot-around session will be presented.
Highlights:
- The inaugural Big 12/SEC Challenge begins Thursday, Nov. 14 with Texas Tech at Alabama at 9 p.m. on ESPN. It is the first of 10 games that will be played out over six weeks.
- No. 7 Michigan travels to Iowa State for a 5 p.m. ESPN2 matchup on Sunday.
- A rematch of the first-round NIT upset between then-No. 8 seed Robert Morris at No. 1 seed Kentucky will be played Sunday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2 with the Wildcats currently ranked No. 1 in the nation.
- The Regional Round of the 2K Sports Classic on Sunday, Nov. 17 will air on ESPNU: Boston University at No. 19 Connecticut at noon and Florida Atlantic at Boston College at 8 p.m.
- No. 12 North Carolina is featured twice on ESPNU: Thursday vs. Holy Cross at 8 p.m. and Sunday vs. Belmont at 4 p.m.
| Date | Time (ET) | Game / Announcers | Network |
| Thu, Nov 14 | 7 p.m. | Toledo at Boston College Doug Sherman & Malcolm Huckaby |
ESPN3 |
| Texas Southern at Miami (Fla.) | ESPN3 | ||
| 7:30 p.m. | Yale at Rutgers Jason Horowitz & John Celestand |
ESPN3 | |
| 8 p.m. | UT-San Antonio at Houston Dave Raymond & Reid Gettys |
ESPN3 | |
| 9 p.m. | Big 12/SEC Challenge: Texas Tech at Alabama Dave Lamont & Darrin Horn |
ESPN2 | |
| 11 p.m. | Northwestern at Stanford Roxy Bernstein & Sean Farnham |
ESPNU | |
| Fri, Nov 15 | 7 p.m. | Florida Atlantic at Duke Rich Hollenberg & Dino Gaudio |
ESPN3 |
| Western Carolina at Virginia Tech | ESPN3 | ||
| Presbyterian at Wake Forest Dave Weekley & Stan Lewter |
ESPN3 | ||
| 8 p.m. | Holy Cross at No. 12 North Carolina Roy Philpott & Fran Fraschilla |
ESPNU | |
| 8:30 p.m. | USF at Bowling Green Jim Barbar & Mark Adams |
ESPN3 | |
| Sat, Nov 16 | 7 p.m. | Campbell at NC State Roy Philpott & Dino Gaudio |
ESPN3 |
| Sun, Nov 17 | Noon | 2K Sports Classic: Regional Round: Boston University at No. 19 Connecticut Bob Picozzi & Seth Greenberg |
ESPNU |
| 2 p.m. | UT-Martin at Florida State | ESPN3 | |
| Bethune-Cookman at UCF Drew Fellios & Mark Wise |
ESPN3 | ||
| Lehigh at Houston Brett Dolan & Reid Gettys |
ESPN3 | ||
| 4 p.m. | Belmont at No. 12 North Carolina Tom Hart & Fran Fraschilla |
ESPNU | |
| 5 p.m. | No. 7 Michigan at Iowa State Dave O’Brien & Dick Vitale |
ESPN2 | |
| South Carolina at Clemson Mike Gleason & Stan Lewter |
ESPN3 | ||
| Howard at Pittsburgh Tim Neverett & Curtis Aiken |
ESPN3 | ||
| 6 p.m. | Oregon State at Maryland Eamon McAnaney & Len Elmore |
ESPNU | |
| 7 p.m. | Robert Morris at No. 1 Kentucky Jon Sciambi & Jimmy Dykes |
ESPN2 | |
| 8 p.m. | 2K Sports Classic: Regional Round: Florida Atlantic at Boston College Kevin Connors & Malcolm Huckaby |
ESPNU |
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