College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon 2013 TV schedule: More than 24 hours of basketball is in store across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU beginning Monday, Nov. 11, as the College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon ushers in the season. The schedule features 16 men’s games and two women’s games. The women’s matchup between powerhouses Stanford and Connecticut (ESPN2, 7pm ET) gets things going, and the marathon wraps up Tuesday with the Champions Classic from Chicago.
Press release and full schedule from ESPN:
College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon: More Than 29 Hours of Basketball Monday thru Tuesday
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 Monday, Nov. 11 and Tuesday, 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 Valvano |
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 |
Photo: Credit: Phil Ellsworth/ESPN Images