ESPN Tip-Off Marathon 2015 Schedule: Dates, TV Info and Matchups

There's no better way to ring in a new college basketball season than to watch it around the clock for two days straight.

ESPN's Tip-Off Marathon affords college hoops fans that very opportunity. It begins Monday with a women's clash before a long list of men's showdowns that will have the biggest hoops aficionados struggling to find time to catch some shuteye.

Take a look below for a full breakdown of the marathon along with a closer look at the top game on the slate.

2015 ESPN Tip-Off Marathon Schedule

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
Mon., Nov. 16	No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 13 Ohio State (Women)	5:30 p.m.	ESPN2
Mon., Nov. 16	No. 4 Virginia vs. George Washington	7:30 p.m.	ESPN2
Mon., Nov. 16	Kennesaw State vs. LSU	9 p.m.	ESPNU
Mon., Nov. 16	San Diego State vs. No. 13 Utah	9:30 p.m.	ESPN2
Mon., Nov. 16	No. 17 Baylor vs. Oregon	11:30 p.m.	ESPN2
Tues., Nov. 17	BYU vs. Long Beach State	1:45 a.m.	ESPN2
Tues., Nov. 17	Nevada vs. Hawaii	4 a.m.	ESPN2
Tues., Nov. 17	Green Bay vs. East Tennessee State	6 a.m.	ESPN2
Tues., Nov. 17	Stephen F. Austin vs. Northern Iowa	8 a.m.	ESPN2
Tues., Nov. 17	Valparaiso vs. Rhode Island	10 a.m.	ESPN2
Tues., Nov. 17	Alabama vs. Dayton	1 p.m.	ESPN
Tues., Nov. 17	Colorado vs. Auburn	3 p.m.	ESPN
Tues., Nov. 17	No. 8 Oklahoma vs. Memphis	5 p.m.	ESPN
Tues., Nov. 17	No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 6 Duke	7:30 p.m.	ESPN
Tues., Nov. 17	Georgetown vs. No. 1 Maryland	9 p.m.	ESPN2
Tues., Nov. 17	No. 5 Kansas vs. No. 19 Michigan State	10 p.m.	ESPN

Top Game to Watch

No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 6 Duke

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

While both teams can only hope to face each other months down the road in the Final Four with much bigger implications, there's no need to wait for two of the most storied college basketball programs to lace them up and battle on the hard court.

That's because Kentucky and Duke are slated for a mouth-watering early-season showdown Tuesday at the United Center in Chicago, which is sure to produce the best early-season matchup in the sport—and one of the best matchups all season.

The Wildcats are coming in fresh off a back-to-back, drubbing two inferior opponents at home to begin another year of sky-high expectations for Big Blue. They dominated NJIT on Saturday, and the team's Twitter account made it clear the Wildcats were already looking ahead to Tuesday's big game:

It's no secret that Tuesday's clash will put together two of the best programs in the history of college basketball. 

But some of their best successes have come as of late. While national championships have come for both in the last couple of years, their overall winning percentages since 2010 further prove their recent reigns, as Duke Basketball noted:

But this bout isn't about what the teams have done in recent years. It's about the here and now, and in today's college basketball world, that typically means a plethora of new faces.

Duke is embarking on a new era after waving goodbye to the freshman trio of Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow that produced a national title last season. Championship game hero Grayson Allen leads the way for a Blue Devils squad that hopes to start 2015-16 on the same foot it left last season on.

Meanwhile, Kentucky head coach John Calipari is once again flush with an influx of top-end freshman talent. Point guard Jamal Murray already appears to be a game-changer, but the return of Tyler Ulis puts them over the top in the backcourt, and that's why ESPN's Jeff Goodman gives the Wildcats the edge Tuesday:

While everyone will be looking into this clash and overanalyzing what the result means for both teams in the long run, there's no secret that it means little to the end result. Starting on the right foot with a win could be big, but both of these teams will look drastically different down the stretch than they do now.

Don't expect that to take anything away from Tuesday night's game. Anytime Kentucky and Duke step onto the court together, fireworks are a given.