24 Hour Hoops Marathon On ESPN

ESPN has gone with a one-day college hoops marathon before, but absolutely nothing like the insanity that will occur on November 17th. Andy Katz has the skinny on the event here. From midnight to midnight, at all times, there will be a college basketball game going on. That means not only will there be after-midnight starts, but there will be a 6 AM game, an 8 AM game, a 10 AM game... for 24 hours straight you will have a live college basketball game on ESPN and/or ESPN2 at all times.

To be fair, they're not all good games. There's the Northern Colorado-Hawaii game at 4 AM eastern time, and I think that even the parents of the players will be DVRing that one to watch later at their own convenience. But most of the others are exciting, for one reason or another. Nobody needs to be talked into Memphis-Kansas or Gonzaga-Michigan State, but I'll explain some of the games that will have less hype but will still have me excited:

Binghamton vs Pitt, 5:30 PM on ESPN2: This is probably the most intriguing game for me. I've talked a bit about Pitt's recent troubles: Gilbert Brown will be suspended for the game (as well as the entire fall semester), and Jermaine Dixon will likely still be out with a broken foot. Pitt was going to be a bubble team even with both players healthy all season, and now they are really in a precarious situation. Meanwhile, Binghamton is trying to prove that last season was not a fluke, and they will contend not just for another America East championship, but a potential NCAA Tournament win. A win in a game like this could be the difference between a 13 and a 14 seed, or a 12 and a 13, which can mean so much. Binghamton will come into this game believing that they can win, and Pitt will come into this game trying desperately not to mess up their at-large chances. Both teams will be very motivated.

Arkansas-Little Rock vs Tulsa, 2 PM on ESPN: This game won't get any attention from the mainstream media, but it will say a lot about Conference USA and the Sun Belt. For C-USA, it does appear likely that there will be a one-on-one duel between Tulsa and Memphis for the title. Obviously a loss to UALR would not look good for the resume, but more importantly I want to just see how good this team looks, and if they can realistically knock off Memphis. As for the Sun Belt Conference, all of the press that FIU has gotten doesn't change the fact that UALR is probably the top challenger for Western Kentucky. If UALR impresses in this game then they have to be taken seriously as a potential Sun Belt champion.

Northeastern vs Siena, 12 PM on ESPN: This one doesn't need a whole lot of explanation, even if it will be a bit off of the national radar. Siena is intent on proving that they'll be better than they were last year, and I've argued that they'll be both right and wrong: I think they'll be better than they were last season, but they were also so overrated last season that they can be better and still not be seen as better. As for Northeastern, they're a program on the rise that could potentially challenge for the title in a weakened Colonial. It's unlikely that they'll be in the mix for an at-large bid at the end of the season, but it will certainly be something that Northeastern fans will think about if they can knock off Siena in this one.

San Diego State vs Saint Mary's, 2 AM on ESPN: Both of these teams got enough national attention last season that this game doesn't need a whole lot of explanation either. Saint Mary's is attempting to prove that there will be life after Patty Mills, and that their steady stream of Australian recruits will continue to allow them to challenge Gonzaga in the WCC. And San Diego State is clearly thinking that they can make a run at a Tournament bid, and will have more of an argument if they can open with a win here. This game will be in McKeon Pavilion, where Saint Mary's is nearly impossible to beat, which would make a win here even more impressive for San Diego State.