NCAA Basketball Games to Watch: 2013 ESPN Tip-Off Marathon Schedule and Preview
The NCAA men's basketball season has started again, and there's no better way to celebrate its return than by watching college basketball games live for twenty-four straight hours. Sports broadcaster ESPN has done just that in recent years with the yearly ESPN Tip-Off Marathon.
For 2013, sixteen different games are part of the marathon, ranging from traditional powers such as the Kansas Jayhawks and Duke Blue Devils to mid-major programs on the rise such as the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles and the Wichita State Shockers. Below is the calendar of the Tip-Off Marathon (all times AEDT).
Nov 12 Kent State at Temple 11 am
Nov 12 Colorado at Gonzaga 1 pm
Nov 12 BYU at Stanford 3 pm ESPN2
Nov 12 Western Kentucky at Wichita State 5 pm
Nov 12 Akron at Saint Mary's 7 pm
Nov 12 New Mexico State at Hawaii 9 pm
Nov 12 Hartford at Florida Gulf Coast 11 pm
Nov 13 Quinnipiac at La Salle 1 am
Nov 13 LSU at Massachussetts 3 am
Nov 13 West Virginia at Virginia Tech 5 am
Nov 13 South Carolina at Baylor 7 am
Nov 13 N.C. State at Cincinnati 9 am
Nov 13 VCU at Virginia 11 am
Nov 13 Michigan State vs. Kentucky* 11:30 am
Nov 13 Florida at Wisconsin 1:00 pm
Nov 13 Kansas vs. Duke* 2 pm
Here are the games to watch out for:
Akron vs. St. Mary's, 7 pm
Gonzaga has always been the king of the West Coast Conference, but St. Mary's has been a contender recently. The Gaels have recruited heavily from Australia through coach Randy Bennett, and the 2013-14 roster includes three Aussies. The Zips, on the other hand, return with a lot of talent from the lineup that made it to the 2013 NCAA Tournament, but lose seven-footer Zeke Marshall.
Hartford vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 11 pm
The FGCU Eagles lost head coach Andy Enfield to USC in the off-season. Still, they retain the core of the "Dunk City" team that alley-ooped their way to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. The Hartford Hawks feature most of the players that made it to the 2013 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, including two Australians, Taylor DYson and Dougal Weir.
Michigan State vs. Kentucky, 11:30 am
Playing minus center Nerlens Noel, Kentucky failed to defend its 2011-12 NCAA championship. They also lose a host of players to either the NBA draft or other schools. However, they have pulled a massive recruiting coup, signing six five-star recruits, including Julius Randle. The MSU Spartans lose only one player from the roster who went to the NCAA Tournament for the 15th straight year, and their leading scorers Keith Appling and Gary Harris spurned the NBA Draft to lead the team to yet another appearance at the Big Dance.