BigE

ESPN Tip-Off Marathon


For the college basketball fan, there aren't many glorious July days, but this one definitely counts: the release of the 2012 ESPN Tip-Off Marathon schedule, set to take place for all 24 hours (and then some) on Tuesday, Nov. 13. I think you're going to like what's being offered.

First things first. The games are as follows (all times ET):

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)
30 minutes following MSU/KU: Duke vs. Kentucky (Champions Classic)

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebaske...hedule-is-here

ATPTourFan

I may need to take a day off to enjoy the 3 A10 games and the feature matchups in prime time.

Twister

I wish the UMass game was at 2am would be so much better than 10am

jpschmack

I really hate ESPN. A lot.

With regard to this, W(hy)TF couldn't simply do Butler-St. John's, Detroit-Xavier? Instead of a "non-conference conference game" the first day of the season?

And secondly, if you read this, it shows you how ESPN tosses journalism out the window and only serves to promote their holdings: http://stholeary.blogspot.com/2012/0...spn-smear.html

Of course, what's not said in the article is that the "This is the kind of crap ESPN has been doing to the A-10 for decades, since they've been the biggest stakeholder in Big East hoops ever.

The gap between Big East and A-10 was very small until the BCS came along and ESPN shoved it to us.
Listen to every time they talk about the A-10. They say "positive" things like "This is a multi-bid conference" and "They could get THREE teams in the dance." Statistically, the A-10 AVERAGES three teams and have gotten four or five bids more often than they've gotten less than three bids.

But ESPN has perpetrated this myth that we're inferior in every way, a mid-major, a JV conferences; and that perception given to recruits has essentially made it a self-fulfilling prophecy.

We need to pounce on the Big East's stupidity, get outselves an ESPN deal (even if we take small money to do it), because the ESPN promotion machine could turn this conference into a juggernaut.

If you think I'm ranting and raving like a crazy person, look at the history of the Big West. When they had the ESPN TV deal and the Big Monday time slot, they were better than the WAC and WCC in basketball (before the MWC existed). They had multiple bids, multiple RANKED TEAMS. Pacific built their recruiting pitch off that

Then along comes Gonzaga and after their fourth or fifth Cinderella run, the WCC gets the TV deal from ESPN. Now they're a 3-4 bid conference and the Big West is a bottom feeder. Pacific had three straight NCAA years, with two first round wins and a BS OT loss they got screwed in. Now, they had their worst season in 25 years last year.

If ESPN owns your rights, they pimp you to every recruit in the country.

stophorseabuse

I don't think X woul be okay with swapping Butler for Detroit. X is owed a return game, and unless it could be replaced with an equal or better team it would be bs.

jpschmack

They wouldn't be swapping Butler for Detroit. Butler is now a conference game. I think we can guarantee Butler visiting Xavier, since they'll probably be playing home/home every year starting in 2013-14.

They could have gotten Butler at home this season in A-10 play. Now they have a conference game at Butler this season.

Last year: @Butler, Charlotte, Saint Louis
This year: Butler (TOM), @Butler (A10), VCU
Should be: Detroit, Butler (A10), @VCU

Any difference between SLU/CHAR and VCU/DET in a "helpful RPI" context is negated by the fact that a Xavier win over Butler adds an loss to the conference. We now have an extra game we're guaranteed to go .500 in.

That's not smart scheduling.

xavierhoops

Uh, yes, under your scenario they would be. As it stands, X plays Butler twice. If they (St Johns-Detroit, Butler-Xavier) switched opponents as you suggested, X would play Butler once and Detroit twice. Sounds like they'd be "swapping Butler for Detroit."

stophorseabuse

JP, I am talking the SOS hit X would take. Butler is a good team home fans consider worth admission, Detroit is a fart sound. if X could swap and get to play St. Johns at home, while still not as good as Butler, we might be talking.

stophorseabuse

Xavier and Butler don't need to play for quantity wins. Detroit will do nothing but possibly harm for either team. I look at it as 1 a10 team gets a high end OOC win, while the other has an acceptable loss.

stophorseabuse

It would be fine with me if the alternative was decent.

agoo101284

Wasn't this scheduled before Butler joined the A-10 starting this season?

stophorseabuse

Absolutely. Otherwise, this would be SUPER STUPID. ESPN picked this game, they didn't make it.

X-band '01

This was announced back in either December or January - at that point there were only rumors of Butler joining the A-10, and even then it would have been for 2013-14. The need for Butler to join immediately didn't become necessary until the Horizon League decided to play hardball with Butler.

As for the 10 AM time slot, how come they don't do a morning game on the West Coast? Surely they could throw a bone to a program like UC-Santa Barbara or Cal State-Northridge. Even Houston Baptist is making their national TV debut (albeit at 4 AM EST).

Aldo

Temple vs Kent State.

I quess we still owe them some money.

vaNtR

Playing basketball against the MAC is the worst thing to happen to Temple hoops since the Ty Shine game.