St. John's, Stony Brook open season in wee hours
Steve Lavin's debut as St. John's basketball coach will be a night-owl special starting at 2 a.m. Eastern time Nov. 16 at St. Mary's in Moraga, Calif., as part of ESPN's "College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon."
America East regular-season champion Stony Brook also landed a spot in the nationally televised opening-day lineup, playing a 6 a.m. game at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J.
It's a tough spot for Lavin to begin his Red Storm career.
St. Mary's not only qualified for the NCAA Tournament as the second-place team out of the West Coast Conference last season but also upset Villanova in the second round on its way to the Sweet 16.
Stony Brook, which earned an NIT bid last season, should have it easier against its opponent from the Northeast Conference except for the challenge of the early start time.
The Tip-Off Marathon includes 19 men's games and one women's game spread across three ESPN networks over a 24-hour period.
It begins with Miami at Memphis at midnight and includes games featuring NCAA men's champion Duke and Final Four participants Butler and Michigan State.
Women's NCAA champ Connecticut puts its 78-game winning streak on the line against Final Four opponent Baylor and 6-8 Brittney Griner at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
