College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon Schedule Announced

We are still months away from the start of college basketball season, but that doesn't mean that hardcore college hoops fans can't have something to look forward to. ESPN has released its schedule for their 2012 tip-off marathon, a 24 hour feast of non-stop basketball action.

The marathon will be taking place on Tuesday, November 13. As always, the event starts at midnight Eastern time and goes all the way until the next day. Here is your schedule:

Midnight: West Virginia at Gonzaga
2 a.m.: Davidson at New Mexico
4 a.m.: Houston Baptist at Hawaii
6 a.m.: Stony Brook at Rider
8 a.m.: Northern Illinois at Valparaiso
10 a.m.: Harvard at Massachusetts
12 p.m.: Temple at Kent State
2 p.m.: Detroit at St. John’s
4 p.m.: Butler at Xavier
7 p.m.: Michigan State vs. Kansas (Champions Classic, Georgia Dome -- Atlanta)
9:30 p.m. (approx.): Duke vs. Kentucky (Champions Classic)

Now, I know that the 2 a.m. to noon games won't have much to offer the casual college basketball enthusiast, but the attractiveness of Duke/Kentucky, Michigan State/Kansas, West Virginia/Gonzaga, and even Xavier/Butler should be enough to keep them happy.

For the college hoops junkies, like myself, it is always great fun to scope out some intriguing mid to low major schools early in the year. Harvard, Davidson, New Mexico, UMass, Temple, Kent State, Detroit, and even Stony Brook could all wind up in the NCAA Tournament this year and being able to see them on television right away will be an absolute treat.

Whether you just want to see the high profile matchups, or want to get a jump on studying the lesser known squads for when March rolls around, the Tip-Off Marathon has something for everyone.