Field of 68 organizes opening day marathon that features mid-major basketball programs

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The 2026-27 college basketball season will open with a marathon event featuring 16 mid-major programs.

The Field of 68 is reviving a tipoff event that is similar to the one ESPN ran for nine seasons before ending it in 2017.

The Field of 68 has eight games scheduled for Nov. 2, beginning with High Point and Liberty at 12:01 a.m. Eastern. All of the games will stream on the Field of 68’s YouTube channel and on X. Six of the games will be played in Rock Hill, South Carolina, with the other two in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The full slate (all times Eastern):

12:01 a.m.: High Point vs. Liberty, Rock Hill.

3 a.m.: Grambling vs. Northern Illinois, Rock Hill.

6 a.m.: Appalachian State vs. Merrimack, Rock Hill.

9 a.m.: Winthrop vs. Queens, Rock Hill.

11:30 a.m.: Murray State vs. Tennessee State, Sioux Falls.

2 p.m.: UTEP vs. Northern Kentucky, Sioux Falls.

5:30 p.m.: UAB vs. McNeese State, Rock Hill.

8 p.m.: Furman vs. Bethune-Cookman, Rock Hill.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball