Although college basketball season is still three months away, roundball junkies will be pleased to hear that ESPN has announced the schedule for its third-annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon, which will take place this year on Nov. 16.
The marathon will begin at midnight when Memphis hosts Miami, and continues for 25.5 consecutive hours of live college basketball to be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.
This year’s schedule has a nice mix of national powerhouses (defending national champions Duke, Michigan State, Connecticut) opening up their seasons in primetime and lesser-known programs (Stony Brook, Monmouth, Central Michigan) playing in front of national audiences in the red-eye games.
While we at the Daily Tar Heel in no way encourage students to skip class in order to catch the whole thing, basketball fans should make a point of tuning in to the 4 p.m. matchup between Virginia Tech and Kansas State, two programs on the rise looking to make the leap during the 2010-11 season. It will also be interesting to see how Louisville does in their first game after the Rick Pitino sex scandal when they take on 2010 national finalists Butler in the 8 p.m. game.
North Carolina has not yet released its non-conference schedule, but the Tar Heels do have a Nov. 30 ACC/Big-Ten Challenge game at Illinois on the docket, as well as a blockbuster neutral-court contest with Texas to be played Dec. 18 at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Additionally, the Tar Heels will compete in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan from Nov. 18-21. UNC’s first game will be against Hofstra, with two more to follow against a field that includes West Virginia, Vanderbilt and Davidson.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
