Men’s College Hoops: Season Opens from State Farm Armed Forces Classic on Friday

Replay of Jay Bilas Conference Call (from Nov. 7): http://es.pn/2fQhal0
ESPN networks tip-off the 2016-17 men’s college basketball season with a solid schedule of non-conference match-ups during the opening weekend, beginning with the fifth annual State Farm Armed Forces Classic from Honolulu on Friday, Nov. 11.
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, opens its college basketball event season in Hawaii with the State Farm Armed Forces Classic before traveling to New York City for the State Farm Champions Classic on Tuesday, Nov. 15, and then continuing on to its remaining eight early-season men’s events that the Charlotte, N.C.-based group owns and operates.
All games aired on an ESPN network will also be available through WatchESPN, accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and streaming devices to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider. Content will also live throughout the season on SportsCenter, ESPN.com, ESPN Radio, ESPN the Magazine and many more ESPN properties.
State Farm Armed Forces Classic – Nov. 11
The fifth annual State Farm Armed Forces Classic – to be played on Veterans Day, Friday, Nov. 11, just under a month from the 75thanniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor – will pit preseason-ranked No. 10 Arizona against No. 12 Michigan State at 7 p.m. and No. 3 Kansas vs. No. 11 Indiana at 9:30 p.m. The games will originate from the Stan Sheriff Center on the campus of the University of Hawaii in Honolulu with surrounding events at the U.S. Navy Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
College GameDay Covered by State Farm begins coverage at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN Radio from the Stan Sheriff Center. Host Karl Ravech will be joined by college basketball analysts Jay Williams and Seth Greenberg with reporter Andy Katz. Analysts Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas will call the games with reporter Molly McGrath.
The games are part of eighth annual America’s Heroes: A Salute to Our Veterans initiative, including SportsCenter live from Honolulu.
In-studio and in-game production elements include:
- A Veterans Day and Armed Forces Classic message from President Obama
- Features on the USS Arizona, USS Missouri and Pearl Harbor Survivors
- A sense of Place vignettes and life at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam voiced by actor Clarke Peters
- Full coverage of team activities and tours while at JBPHH
Tip-Off Marathon – Nov. 14 & 15
ESPN’s ninth annual Tip-Off Marathon will feature 11 men’s and women’s college basketball games beginning on Monday, Nov. 14, and continuing Tuesday, Nov. 15, on ESPN2, bringing more than 24 hours of game action to mark the start of the 2016-17 season.
Marathon highlights:
- The schedule begins on the men’s side with Princeton at BYU at 10 p.m. on Monday (ESPN2) and starting the day on Tuesday, at midnight, with San Diego State at No. 14 Gonzaga (ESPN2)
- Preseason-ranked No. 5 Oregon travels to Baylor at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday to cap off ESPN2’s coverage
- Sixteen conferences are represented including three appearances from the Big 12 and West Coast Conference, and two each from the Atlantic Coast, Big South, Metro Atlantic, Pac-12 and Southeastern. Additional appearances include America East, American, Atlantic 10, Big Ten, Big West, Conference USA, Horizon, Ivy, Mountain West and Southland
Champions Classic – Nov. 15
ESPN’s premier early-season college basketball event will showcase four of the all-time winningest programs for the sixth straight year in the State Farm Champions Classic on Tuesday, Nov. 15. The neutral-site blockbuster doubleheader – staged from Madison Square Garden in New York City – pits preseason-ranked No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 12 Michigan State at 7 p.m. and No. 1 Duke vs. No. 3 Kansas at 9:30 p.m. – all on ESPN.
- Shulman, along with reporter Maria Taylor, will be on the call of both games, with analyst Dick Vitale working game 1 and Bilas on game 2.
- College GameDay Covered by State Farm will be live from Madison Square Garden floor surrounding Champions Classic with host Rece Davis, Bilas, Greenberg and Williams
- For the second straight year, ESPN will exclusively reveal the College Football Playoff weekly rankings on College Football Playoff: Top 25 between the Champions Classic games – from inside MSG with host Davis and analysts Joey Galloway, Kirk Herbstreit and David Pollack onsite.
Additional games highlight the opening weekend include:
- The Veterans Day schedule closes out on ESPN2 with the Pac-12 China Game presented by Alibaba Group featuring Harvard vs. Stanford (11 p.m.) in Shanghai, China
- No. 2 Kentucky opens at home against Stephen F. Austin, also on Friday, on SEC Network (7 p.m.) and then again on Sunday vs. Canisius on ESPN2 (6 p.m.)
- No. 12 Texas has two home games – playing Incarnate Word on Friday and against Louisiana-Monroe on Monday on Longhorn Network (both at 8 p.m.)
- No. 6 North Carolina is featured twice – on the road against Tulane on Friday on ESPNU (9 p.m.) and at home vs. Chattanooga on Sunday on ESPN2 (4 p.m.)
Full Schedule (Friday-Tuesday); Full Season Schedule
Weekly Men’s College Basketball Key Matchups (subject to change)
Date | Time (ET) | Game | Network |
Fri, Nov 11 | 7 p.m. | State Farm Armed Forces Classic: No. 10 Arizona vs. No. 12 Michigan State (Honolulu) Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Andy Katz, Molly McGrath |
ESPN |
Stephen F. Austin at No. 2 Kentucky
Dave O’Brien, Doris Burke |
SEC Network | ||
McNeese at No. 15 Purdue Zach Zaidman, Homer Drew |
ESPN3 | ||
8 p.m. | Incarnate Word at No. 21 Texas Lowell Galindo, Lance Blanks |
Longhorn Network | |
9 p.m. | No. 6 North Carolina at Tulane Rich Hollenberg, Cory Alexander |
ESPNU | |
9:30 p.m. | State Farm Armed Forces Classic: No. 11 Indiana vs. No. 3 Kansas (Honolulu) Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Andy Katz, Molly McGrath |
ESPN | |
11 p.m. | Pac-12 China Game presented by Alibaba Group: Harvard vs. Stanford (Shanghai)
Roxy Bernstein, Bill Walton |
ESPN2 | |
Sun, Nov 13 | 4 p.m. | Chattanooga at No. 6 North Carolina Roy Philpott, Jason Capel |
ESPN2 |
6 p.m. | Canisius at No. 2 Kentucky Dave O’Brien, LaPhonso Ellis |
ESPN2 | |
Tip-Off Marathon on ESPN, ESPN2 & ESPNU (Nov. 14-15) | |||
Mon, Nov 14 | 7 p.m. | Albany at Cincinnati Robert Lee, Brooke Weisbrod |
ESPNU |
8 p.m. | Legends Classic: Louisiana-Monroe at No. 21 Texas Lowell Galindo, Lance Blanks |
Longhorn Network | |
9 p.m. | North Carolina Central at Ohio State Drew Fellios, Sean Harrington |
ESPNU | |
10 p.m. | Princeton at Brigham Young Sam Farber, Brad Daugherty |
ESPN2 | |
Tue, Nov 15 | Midnight | San Diego State at No. 14 Gonzaga Eric Rothman, Sean Farnham |
ESPN2 |
2 a.m. | Green Bay at Pacific Roxy Bernstein, Adrian Branch |
ESPN2 | |
4:15 a.m. | Florida Atlantic at Hawaii Leahey Kanoa , Corey Williams |
ESPN2 | |
6:30 a.m. | Niagara at Hartford Jason Benetti, Tim Welsh |
ESPN2 | |
8:45 a.m. | Winthrop at Manhattan Allen Bestwick, Len Elmore |
ESPN2 | |
11 a.m. | Longwood at Stephen F. Austin Rich Hollenberg, Dalen Cuff |
ESPN2 | |
1:15 p.m. | Dayton at Alabama Tom Hart, Kara Lawson |
ESPN2 | |
3:30 p.m. | No. 5 Oregon at Baylor Bob Wischusen, Fran Fraschilla |
ESPN2 | |
7 p.m. | State Farm Champions Classic: No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 12 Michigan State (New York) Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale, Maria Taylor |
ESPN | |
9:30 p.m. | State Farm Champions Classic: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 3 Kansas (New York) Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Maria Taylor |
ESPN |
Weekly Men’s College Basketball Schedule (subject to change)
Date | Time (ET) | Game | Network |
Fri, Nov 11 | 7 p.m. | State Farm Armed Forces Classic: No. 10 Arizona vs. No. 12 Michigan State (Honolulu) Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Andy Katz, Molly McGrath |
ESPN |
La Salle at Temple Dave Leno, Tim Welsh |
ESPNEWS | ||
Oral Roberts at Baylor Roy Philpott, Paul Biancardi |
ESPNU | ||
Stephen F. Austin at No. 2 Kentucky Dave O’Brien, Doris Burke |
SEC Network | ||
Albany at Penn State Bob Picozzi, Brian Allen |
ESPN3 | ||
McNeese at No. 15 Purdue Zach Zaidman, Homer Drew |
ESPN3 | ||
Florida A&M at USF Jim Barbar, Mike O’Donnel |
ESPN3 | ||
Brown at Cincinnati Tom Gelehrter, Mark Adams |
ESPN3 | ||
8 p.m. | Incarnate Word at No. 21 Texas Lowell Galindo, Lance Blanks |
Longhorn Network | |
Grambling State at East Carolina Evan Lepler, Nate Ross |
ESPN3 | ||
Morgan State at Houston Dave Raymond, John Gregory |
ESPN3 | ||
Jacksonville State at Tulsa Brett Dolan, Kevin Lehman |
ESPN3 | ||
Gardner-Webb at SMU David Saltzman, Stephen Howard |
ESPN3 | ||
9 p.m. | No. 6 North Carolina at Tulane Rich Hollenberg, Cory Alexander |
ESPNU | |
Northwestern State at Texas A&M Richard Cross, Sean Farnham |
SEC Network | ||
9:30 p.m. | State Farm Armed Forces Classic: No. 11 Indiana vs. No. 3 Kansas (Honolulu) Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Andy Katz, Molly McGrath |
ESPN | |
11 p.m. | Pac-12 China Game presented by Alibaba Group: Harvard vs. Stanford (Shanghai) Roxy Bernstein, Bill Walton |
ESPN2 | |
San Diego at San Diego State Drew Fellios, Adrian Branch |
ESPNU | ||
Sun, Nov 13 | Noon | IUPUI at Michigan John Brickley, Sean Harrington |
ESPNU |
2 p.m. | Eastern Michigan at SMU Dave Raymond, Stephen Howard |
ESPN3 | |
4 p.m. | Chattanooga at No. 6 North Carolina Roy Philpott, Jason Capel |
ESPN2 | |
6 p.m. | Canisius at No. 2 Kentucky Dave O’Brien, LaPhonso Ellis |
ESPN2 | |
Holy Cross at South Carolina Kevin Fitzgerald, Dane Bradshaw |
SEC Network | ||
8 p.m. | Mercer at Florida Mike Morgan, Miles Simon |
ESPNU | |
Alabama A&M at Missouri Matt Stewart, Jon Sundvold |
SEC Network | ||
Tip-Off Marathon on ESPN, ESPN2 & ESPNU (Nov. 14-15) | |||
Mon, Nov 14 | 7 p.m. | Albany at Cincinnati Robert Lee, Brooke Weisbrod |
ESPNU |
UMass at Ole Miss Richard Cross, Jarvis Hayes |
SEC Network | ||
North Carolina A&T at East Carolina Drew Fellios, Sean Harrington |
ESPN3 | ||
New Hampshire at Temple Dave Leno, John Celestand |
ESPN3 | ||
8 p.m. | Legends Classic: Louisiana-Monroe at No. 21 Texas Lowell Galindo, Lance Blanks |
Longhorn Network | |
Southeastern Louisiana at Tulane Tim Grubbs, Mike O’Donnel |
ESPN3 | ||
9 p.m. | North Carolina Central at Ohio State Drew Fellios, Sean Harrington |
ESPNU | |
Georgia State at Auburn Dave Neal, Daymeon Fishback |
SEC Network | ||
10 p.m. | Princeton at Brigham Young Sam Farber, Brad Daugherty |
ESPN2 | |
Tue, Nov 15 | Midnight | San Diego State at No. 14 Gonzaga Eric Rothman, Sean Farnham |
ESPN2 |
2 a.m. | Green Bay at Pacific Roxy Bernstein, Adrian Branch |
ESPN2 | |
4:15 a.m. | Florida Atlantic at Hawaii Leahey Kanoa , Corey Williams |
ESPN2 | |
6:30 a.m. | Niagara at Hartford Jason Benetti, Tim Welsh |
ESPN2 | |
8:45 a.m. | Winthrop at Manhattan Allen Bestwick, Len Elmore |
ESPN2 | |
11 a.m. | Longwood at Stephen F. Austin Rich Hollenberg, Dalen Cuff |
ESPN2 | |
1:15 p.m. | Dayton at Alabama Tom Hart, Kara Lawson |
ESPN2 | |
3:30 p.m. | No. 5 Oregon at Baylor Bob Wischusen, Fran Fraschilla |
ESPN2 | |
7 p.m. | State Farm Champions Classic: No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 12 Michigan State (New York) Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale, Maria Taylor |
ESPN | |
Appalachian State at Tennessee Mike Morgan, Dane Bradshaw |
SEC Network | ||
Grand Canyon at Penn State Bob Picozzi, Brian Allen |
ESPN3 | ||
9 p.m. | Belmont at Vanderbilt Kevin Ingram, Jon Sundvold |
SEC Network | |
9:30 p.m. | State Farm Champions Classic: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 3 Kansas (New York) Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Maria Taylor |
ESPN |