Kansas basketball fans have a lot to be excited about this season. (Image from sports-logos-screensavers.com)
Every year ESPN produces a 24-hour marathon of college basketball to help tip off the season. This usually takes place starting late Monday night of the first official week of the season into the wee hours of Tuesday night. This year will be no different.
Here is this year’s complete schedule for the 24-hour ESPN College Basketball Kickoff:
| Colorado State @ Gonzaga | 9:00PM EST | ESPNU |
| BYU @ Stanford | 11:00PM EST | ESPN2 |
| Western Kentucky @ Wichita State | 1:00AM EST | ESPN2 |
| Akron @ St. Mary’s | 3:00AM EST | ESPN2 |
| New Mexico St. @ Hawaii | 5:00AM EST | ESPN2 |
| Hartford @ Florida Gulf Coast | 7:00AM EST | ESPN2 |
| Quinnipiac @ LaSalle | 9:00AM EST | ESPN2 |
| LSU @ Massachusetts | 11:00AM EST | ESPN2 |
| West Virginia @ Virginia Tech | 1:00PM EST | ESPN |
| South Carolina @ Baylor | 3:00PM EST | ESPN |
| N.C. State @ Cincinnati | 5:00PM EST | ESPN |
| VCU @ Virginia | 7:00PM EST | ESPN2 |
| Kentucky @ Michigan State | 7:30PM EST | ESPN |
| Florida @ Wisconsin | 9:00PM EST | ESPN2 |
| Kansas vs. Duke | 9:30PM EST | ESPN |
This year’s slate is chalk full of mid-major matchups in the early morning games. Wichita State and Florida Gulf Coast, the 2013 NCAA Tournament darlings, each compete at home against underrated competition. Western Kentucky, the HoopsHabit.com favorite to win the Sun Belt conference this season, squares off against the Shockers, last season’s “shocking” Final Four team. It is sure to be a fun game pitting two talented mid-major teams against each other.
On the other end of the spectrum, Dunk City returns to action with high expectations after their remarkable run to the Sweet 16 with a new coach in Joe Dooley, a former Kansas Jayhawks assistant. While Hartford, projected to finish as high as fourth in the America East Conference race, may not be high quality competition, when a game is being played at 7 a.m. on the East Coast, anything is possible.
There’s also an intriguing game between a mid-major power and a high major team on the rise. VCU brings their havoc defense into ACC territory to take on the Virginia Cavaliers. Virginia is ranked 14th in the HoopsHabit.com Top 25 while VCU is ranked 19th. It’s not the marquee game on the schedule, but it’s sure to have plenty of action on both sides of the ball.
The top billings for this year’s marathon include six of the most respected programs in college basketball history. Over on ESPN2 the seventh-ranked Florida Gators travel to Madison, Wis., to take on Bo Ryan and the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin is currently unranked in the HoopsHabit.com preseason poll but a win over Patric Young, Billy Donovan and the talented Gators should propel them into the poll with ease.
On ESPN, a doubleheader of great games awaits, starting with Kentucky traveling to take on Michigan State at the United Center. Kentucky brings in one of the most talented freshman classes, again, in hopes to bring another national championship to Lexington. Julius Randle and Co. have a tough battle with the top-ranked Michigan State Spartans. The Spartans have the experience edge with Adreian Payne, Gary Harris and Keith Appling running the show for Tom Izzo. It’s experienced talent against youthful talent in this one.
And to top off the night over on ESPN, Kansas and highly touted freshman Andrew Wiggins take on Duke and their own talented freshman in Jabari Parker. Both freshman have a lot of hype surrounding them, but this one could come down to the experienced talent of Duke, returning Rasheed Sulaimon, Quinn Cook, Andre Dawkins and Mississippi State transfer Rodney Hood. This is the final game of the marathon and its only fitting to have it main event the programming.
ESPN has done it again with a great schedule of games for college basketball fans to enjoy. It’s going to be a long, long couple of days but it’s going to be well worth watching most of these games.
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