ESPN to Air College Hoops Tip Off Marathon Today

ESPN will mark the opening of the college basketball season with the College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon providing more than 29 hours of consecutive basketball coverage over today, Nov. 11 and tomorrow, Nov. 12. The schedule includes 16 men's matchups and two women's games across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, ending with the third installment of the State Farm Champions Classic - featuring No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 1 Kentucky and No. 5 Kansas vs. No. 4 Duke - from the United Center in Chicago.

ESPN2 will televise nine straight games tipping off every two hours beginning at 7 p.m. ET on Nov. 11, while ESPNU hosts a men's doubleheader, also at 7 p.m. ESPN's schedule of six consecutive games will begin at 1 p.m. on Nov. 12 and culminate with a 30-minute live presentation of College GameDay Covered by State Farm and the Champions Classic doubleheader starting at 7 p.m. from Chicago. ESPN2 will continue Marathon action with a prime-time doubleheader at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

All telecasts will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members and on Apple TV to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.

Game Highlights

· Eleven teams in the Associated Press preseason men's poll, including four top-25 matchups and at least seven games involving a ranked team.

· The Champions Classic showcases four of the top five teams in the nation when No. 2 Michigan State faces No. 1 Kentucky at 7:30 p.m., followed by No. 5 Kansas meeting No. 4 Duke at 9:30 p.m.

· The Champions Classic game between Kentucky and Michigan State is the first 1-2 matchup of Associated Press ranked teams since Feb. 23, 2008 (Memphis vs. Tennessee) and it would be the earliest ever meeting between teams ranked in the top 2.

· Additional ranked matchups on Tuesday: No. 14 VCU at No. 24 Virginia at 7 p.m., followed by No. 10 Florida at No. 20 Wisconsin at 9 p.m. - both on ESPN2

· No. 15 Gonzaga hosts Colorado State at 9 p.m. on Monday evening on ESPNU, No. 16 Wichita State hosts Western Kentucky at 1 a.m. on ESPN2 and NIT Champion and No. 25 Baylor faces South Carolina at 3 p.m. on ESPN.

· Four women's teams in the Associated Press preseason women's poll help tip-off the marathon on Monday, Nov. 11, including defending National Champion No. 1 Connecticut hosting No. 3 Stanford at 7 p.m., followed by No. 4 Tennessee at No. 12 North Carolina at 9 p.m., both on ESPN2.

· Seventeen conferences will be represented including five appearances from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Southeastern Conference (SEC).

· Additional conferences represented: America East (1), American (3), Atlantic Sun (1), Atlantic 10 (3), Big Ten (2), Big 12 (3), Big West (1), Metro Atlantic Athletic (1), Mid-American (2), Missouri Valley (1), Mountain West (1), Pac-12 (2), Sun Belt (1), West Coast (3) and Western Athletic (1).

Commentator Highlights

· Analysts Jimmy Dykes and Fran Fraschilla will call the South Carolina at Baylor game without a play-by-play voice.

· Analyst Tim Welsh will be on hand with Adam Amin for the 7 p.m. Monday night tilt between Kent State and Temple and then travel across town to call the Quinnipiac at LaSalle game at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

· The College GameDay team of Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, Digger Phelps and Jalen Rose will reunite for a 30-minute pregame show prior to the Champions Classic tip-off.

· Dan Shulman will call both Championship Classic games, along with reporter Andy Katz, while Jay Bilas will be the analyst on the first matchup and Dick Vitale will be on the second.

· NCAA Women's Final Four announcing team of Dave O'Brien and Doris Burke will call Stanford at Connecticut.

· The newly announced women's basketball studio grouping of Kevin Negandhi, Kara Lawson and Rebecca Lobo will be live from UConn's Gampel Pavilion for pre-, halftime and post-game coverage of the two top-25 women's games.

2013 College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon Schedule (Subject to change)

Date Time (ET) Game Network

Mon, Nov 11

7 p.m. No. 3 Stanford at No. 1 Connecticut (women's) Dave O'Brien & Doris Burke ESPN2 Kent State at Temple Adam Amin & Tim Welsh ESPNU

9 p.m. No. 4 Tennessee at No. 12 North Carolina (women's) Pam Ward & Carolyn Peck ESPN2 Colorado State at No. 15 Gonzaga Roxy Bernstein & Miles Simon ESPNU

11 p.m. BYU at Stanford Dave Pasch & Seth Greenberg ESPN2

Tues, Nov 12

1 a.m. Western Kentucky at No. 16 Wichita State Dave Flemming & Mark Adams ESPN2

3 a.m. Akron at Saint Mary's Carter Blackburn & Bob Valvan

ESPN2

5 a.m. New Mexico State at Hawaii Kanoa Leahey & Stephen Howard ESPN2

7 a.m. Hartford at Florida Gulf Coast Mark Jones and LaPhonso Ellis ESPN2

9 a.m. Quinnipiac at LaSalle Mike Crispino & Tim Welsh ESPN2

11 a.m. LSU at UMass Bram Weinstein & Kara Lawson ESPN2

1 p.m. West Virginia at Virginia Tech Jon Sciambi & Bruce Pearl ESPN

3 p.m. South Carolina at No. 25 Baylor Jimmy Dykes & Fran Fraschilla ESPN

5 p.m. NC State at Cincinnati John Saunders & Sean Farnham ESPN

7 p.m. College GameDay (United Center, Chicago) Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, Digger Phelps & Jalen Rose ESPN No. 14 VCU at No. 24 Virginia Mike Patrick & Len Elmore ESPN2

7:30 p.m. Champions Classic (United Center, Chicago) No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 1 Kentucky Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas & Andy Katz ESPN

9 p.m. No. 10 Florida at No. 20 Wisconsin Bob Wischusen & Dan Dakich ESPN2

9:30 p.m. Champions Classic (United Center, Chicago) No. 5 Kansas vs. No. 4 Duke Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale & Andy Katz ESPN

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