ESPN’s 24 Hour College Basketball Marathon is Really 24 Hours

When ESPN did its first college basketball marathon last year, it had 9 live games with a break between 6 and 10 a.m. This year, there will be no break. It’ll be wall-to-wall college basketball with 12 games filling the entire 24 hour period next Tuesday. We’re talking serious stuff here. Here’s the release.

Second Annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon Features Extensive Coverage across Multiple Networks Nov. 17, Including 12 Straight Games on ESPN

Includes Telecasts of Men’s No. 1 Kansas, No. 2 Michigan State and Women’s No. 1 Connecticut

ESPN’s second annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon — featuring 12 consecutive live college basketball games in 24 hours Tuesday, Nov. 17, on ESPN — will include extensive coverage across the ESPN platforms to celebrate the beginning of the 2009-10 season. ESPN games will tip off every two hours, beginning at midnight ET with Cal State Fullerton at UCLA.

In addition to ESPN’s 24 consecutive hours, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile will offer an extensive lineup of action. Combined, the networks will televise at least 38 total hours of coverage with 19 games — 17 men’s and two women’s – in a minimum of 25 ½ hours.

The schedule will be highlighted by prime-time telecasts of the top two men’s teams in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll: Gonzaga at No. 2 Michigan State, coming off a National Championship game appearance last year, at 8 p.m. and Memphis vs. No. 1 Kansas from St. Louis in a Hall of Fame Showcase contest at 10 p.m.

A women’s doubleheader will feature defending National Champion and No. 1 Connecticut against No. 14 Texas at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2 in the ESPNU Road to the Championship from San Antonio. The first game will pit No. 9 Tennessee against Texas Tech at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.

Production and commentator highlights:

• ESPN.com’s Andy Katz will be available for live reaction and commenting on the matchups, results and performances across multiple ESPN platforms from the Bristol, Conn., headquarters for the entire 24-hour Marathon, including ESPN.com, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU and ESPN Radio.

• ESPN.com will feature Tip-Off Marathon Live, which will include fan comments and questions as well as polls, photos and videos throughout the 24 hours. In addition, ESPN.com will incorporate analysts and interviews with coaches and players.

• Commentator Dave Pasch and analyst Doris Burke will call the first and last game of the 25-plus hours: Cal State Fullerton at UCLA on ESPN at 12 a.m. and a Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT matchup from Tempe at 11:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

• College GameDay host Rece Davis and analysts Digger Phelps, Jay Bilas and Hubert Davis will provide live studio coverage on ESPN from midnight to 2 a.m. (2-10 a.m. on tape) and again from 4 p.m. to midnight. Doug Gottlieb and Jay Williams will provide live studio analysis on ESPN from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on ESPN2 from 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

• ESPNEWS will offer news, interviews and analysis from Phelps, Bilas, Hubert Davis, Gottlieb, Williams, Katz and more.

College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon programming tidbits:

• For the first time through more than 8,200 live college basketball games in 30 years, ESPN will televise its first 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. live matchups.

• A minimum of 20 conferences will be represented: ACC, Atlantic 10, America East, Big Ten, Big 12, BIG EAST, Big South, Big West, Big Sky, Conference USA, Colonial, Mid-American, Metro Atlantic Athletic, Mountain West, Northeast, Pac-10, Southeastern, Sun Belt, Western Athletic and West Coast. The Southern Conference could be added if Elon advances to the NIT regional final at Duke University, the host site. The Southland Conference could also be added if Texas State advances to the NIT regional final at Arizona State, the host site.

• The marathon will include games from five different United States time zones — Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific and Hawaii-Aleutian – from 14 states, plus the District of Columbia.

• ESPN360.com will offer coverage of an original game (Northern Illinois at Illinois at 8 p.m.) as well as simulcasts of every ESPN and ESPN2 telecast; ESPN Mobile TV will offer a simulcast of all 12 ESPN games and an 11:30 p.m. ESPN2 telecast;

• ESPN Classic will televise an 11-game marathon of classic men’s college basketball games Sunday, Nov. 15, through Monday, Nov. 16:

Time (ET)	Matchup
7 a.m.	1989: Oregon State at California
9 a.m.	1992: West Coast Conference Tournament Championship: Gonzaga vs. Pepperdine
11 a.m.	1997: Western Athletic Conference Semifinal: New Mexico vs. Utah
1 p.m.	1991: Patriot League Championship: Fordham vs. Holy Cross
3 p.m.	1994: Massachusetts at Temple
5 p.m.	2006: NCAA First Round: Bradley vs. Kansas
7 p.m.	1984: St. John’s at Georgetown
9 p.m.	1983: North Carolina at Clemson
11 p.m.	2008: National Championship: Kansas vs. Memphis
1 a.m.	1995: Preseason NIT Championship: Georgetown vs. Arizona
3 a.m.	2005: Kansas at Texas Tech

2009-10 College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon Schedule for ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360.com

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	Network
Tue, Nov 17	12 a.m.	Cal State Fullerton at UCLA Dave Pasch & Doris Burke	ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile
	2 a.m.	San Diego State at St. Mary’s Terry Gannon & Stephen Bardo	ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile
	4 a.m.	Northern Colorado at Hawaii Carter Blackburn & Mark Adams	ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile
	6 a.m.	Monmouth at St. Peter’s Bob Wischusen & Tim Welsh	ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile
	8 a.m.	Drexel at Niagara Jon Sciambi & LaPhonso Ellis	ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile
	10 a.m.	No. 24 Clemson at Liberty Eric Collins & Adrian Branch	ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile
	Noon	Northeastern at Siena Sean McDonough & Bill Raftery	ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile
	2 p.m.	Arkansas-Little Rock at Tulsa Ron Franklin & Fran Fraschilla	ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile
	4 p.m.	Temple at No. 21 Georgetown Mike Patrick & Len Elmore	ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile
	5:30 p.m.	CBE Classic: Binghamton at Pittsburgh John Saunders, Bob Valvano & Bob Holtzman	ESPN2 / ESPN360.com
	6 p.m.	NIT from Durham, N.C. (Duke University)* Brad Nessler & Jimmy Dykes	ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile
	7 p.m.	ESPNU Road to the Championship: No. 9 Tennessee vs. Texas Tech (women’s game from San Antonio) Pam Ward, Kara Lawson & Rebecca Lobo	ESPNU
	7:30 p.m.	Hall of Fame Showcase: Arkansas vs. No. 23 Louisville (from St. Louis) Dan Shulman, Bob Knight & Holly Rowe	ESPN2 / ESPN360.com
	8 p.m.	Gonzaga at No. 2 Michigan State Dave O’Brien & Steve Lavin	ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile
	8 p.m.	Northern Illinois at Illinois Lou Canellis & Dickey Simpkins	ESPN360.com
	9 p.m.	CBE Classic: Duquesne at Iowa Jim Barbar & Mac McCausland	ESPNU
	9:30 p.m.	ESPNU Road to the Championship: No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 14 Texas (women’s game from San Antonio) Pam Ward, Kara Lawson & Rebecca Lobo	ESPN2 / ESPN360.com
	10 p.m.	Hall of Fame Showcase: Memphis vs. No. 1 Kansas (from St. Louis) Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale & Holly Rowe	ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile
	11:30 p.m.	NIT from Tempe, Ariz. (Arizona State University)* Dave Pasch & Doris Burke	ESPN2 / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile

* Matchup determined Monday, Nov. 16

That’s a lot of serious stuff there. I can’t watch all of it, but I’ll probably watch some of the games from my office.