Culminates from United Center with the State Farm Champions Classic in Chicago
ESPN’s eighth annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon will feature 16 men’s and women’s college basketball games beginning on Monday, Nov. 16 and continuing Tuesday, Nov. 17, across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU bringing more than 24 hours of game action to mark the start of the 2015-16 season. The schedule includes 15 men’s games and a top-25 women’s matchup concluding with the fifth annual State Farm Champions Classic from the United Center in Chicago.
The neutral-site, early-season men’s doubleheader that matches four of the winningest programs against each other begins with College GameDay Covered by State Farm from inside the arena at 7 p.m. ET, followed by preseason-ranked No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 6 Duke at 7:30 p.m. and No. 5 Kansas vs. No. 19 Michigan State at 10 p.m. – all on ESPN. College Football Playoff: Top 25 – ESPN’s exclusive reveal of the College Football Playoff weekly rankings – will air from the United Center between games with host Rece Davis and analyst Kirk Herbstreit onsite.
ESPN2’s Marathon schedule will include 10 games tipping off about every two hours beginning Monday with a quadruple header at 5:30 p.m. featuring three-time defending national champion Connecticut women. ESPN’s schedule of five consecutive games starts at 1 p.m. on Tuesday and concludes with the State Farm Champions Classic. ESPN2 will also televise a Tuesday men’s primetime game featuring top-ranked Maryland at 9 p.m.
Marathon highlights:
- Ten teams in the com men’s preseason top 25 poll are playing in this year’s Marathon, including the State Farm Champions Classic field.
- 5 Virginia travels to George Washington to open the men’s games on Monday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
- 22 LSU and top-ranked incoming freshman Ben Simmons face Kennesaw State on Monday at 9 p.m. on ESPNU as part of the Legends Classic early-round games.
- 13 Utah hosts San Diego State at 9:30 p.m., followed by No. 17 Baylor traveling to Oregon at 11:30 p.m. – both on ESPN2.
- Top-ranked Maryland concludes ESPN2’s coverage at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, hosting Georgetown with the local rivals playing for the first time since 2008.
- 10 Oklahoma at Memphis precedes Tuesday’s Champions Classic at 5 p.m. on ESPN.
- Twenty-two men’s teams participated in 2015 postseason play in the NCAA Championship (18) and NIT (4).
- Duke won the national title, Michigan State and Kentucky both advanced to the Final Four, while Oklahoma and Utah were Elite Eight participants.
- Third-round participants included Dayton, Georgetown, Kansas, Maryland, Northern Iowa, Oregon, San Diego State and Virginia, while second-round teams were Baylor, LSU, Stephen F. Austin and Valparaiso.
- Also qualifying for the NCAA Championship was BYU.
- Alabama, George Washington, Green Bay and Rhode Island all earned NIT berths.
- Both women’s teams participating in Monday’s Marathon are ranked in com Way-to-early Top 25 for 2015-16.
- Three-time defending national champion and top-ranked Connecticut plays at 2015 NCAA Championship participant and No. 13 ranked Ohio State at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
- Sixteen conferences are represented including four appearances from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and three appearances each from the Atlantic 10, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12.
- Additional conferences featured: Atlantic Coast (2), American (2), Big West (2), Horizon (2), Mountain West (2), Atlantic Sun (1), Missouri Valley (1), Southern (1), BIG EAST (1), Southland (1) and West Coast (1).
Additional Marathon games will be added to ESPN platforms prior to the event.
All telecasts will also be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
2015 College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon Schedule (subject to change)
| Date | Time (ET) | Game | Network |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 5:30 p.m. | No. 1 UConn at No. 13 Ohio State (women) | ESPN2 |
| 7:30 p.m. | No. 4 Virginia at George Washington | ESPN2 | |
| 9 p.m. | Legends Classic: Kennesaw State at LSU | ESPNU | |
| 9:30 p.m. | San Diego State at No. 13 Utah | ESPN2 | |
| 11:30 p.m. | No. 17 Baylor at Oregon | ESPN2 | |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 1:45 a.m. | BYU at Long Beach State | ESPN2 |
| 4 a.m. | Nevada at Hawaii | ESPN2 | |
| 6 a.m. | Green Bay at East Tennessee State | ESPN2 | |
| 8 a.m. | Stephen F. Austin at Northern Iowa | ESPN2 | |
| 10 a.m. | Valparaiso at Rhode Island | ESPN2 | |
| 1 p.m. | Alabama at Dayton | ESPN | |
| 3 p.m. | Colorado at Auburn | ESPN | |
| 5 p.m. | No. 8 Oklahoma at Memphis | ESPN | |
| 7:30 p.m. | State Farm Champions Classic (United Center, Chicago): No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 6 Duke | ESPN | |
| 9 p.m. | Georgetown at No. 1 Maryland | ESPN2 | |
| 10 p.m. | State Farm Champions Classic (United Center, Chicago): No. 5 Kansas vs. No. 19 Michigan State | ESPN |
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