Twenty-one games. Twenty-five hours. It's the truest test of college basketball fandom, the Ironman of hoops spectation: the ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon.

There's so much to watch. Kansas-Kentucky, Duke-Michigan State and Florida-Ohio State offer big-time matchups in the prime-time slots. Northern Iowa-Saint Mary's gives us a little November BracketBusters. Belmont, fresh off its one-point loss at Duke, will try to upset a talented-but-young Memphis team.

There are women's games in the mix as well and a pair of top-10 games to boot. Defending national champion Texas A&M is in action against No. 9 Louisville, and legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt will be on the sideline for her first nationally televised game since receiving her Alzheimer's diagnosis this summer. The third-ranked Lady Vols host No. 7 Miami.

After a barren offseason, this is an embarrassment of hoops riches. Call your boss, stock up on Red Bull and ready the couch groove for extended posterior interaction. The Marathon is here.

• Recap: Gonzaga 89, Washington State 81 | Highlights: The Kevin Pangos show | Watch replay on ESPN3

• Recap: Saint Mary's 57, Northern Iowa 41 | Leung: Gaels make a statement | Watch replay on ESPN3

• Recap: Hawaii 86, Cal State Northridge 67 | Watch replay on ESPN3

• Recap: Drexel 80, Rider 62 | O'Neil: Dragons' early win | Watch replay on ESPN3

• Recap: Charleston 72, Morehead State 57 | Watch replay on ESPN3

• Recap: Kent State 70, West Va. 60 | O'Neil: Quite the debut | Experts | Watch replay on ESPN3

• Recap: Memphis 97, Belmont 81 | Jackson leads Tigers | Watch replay on ESPN3

• Recap: Baylor 77, San Diego State 67 | Watch replay on ESPN3

4 p.m. ET: Rhode Island at Texas (ESPN/ESPN3)

Hey look, the Tom Penders Classic! Jim Baron's URI team still hasn't broken through to the NCAA tournament, but the Rams have qualified for some version of the postseason every year since 2008. Thanks to the losses of stalwarts like Delroy James and Marquis Jones and the transfer of sophomore Akeem Richmond, the Rams could be in for a spell of rebuilding. Fortunately for Baron, Texas coach Rick Barnes finds himself in a similar position -- albeit with much more talent at his disposal. Gone are forwards Tristan Thompson and Jordan Hamilton, UT's two best players last season. Gone is senior leader Gary Johnson. Gone is capable freshman point guard (and surprising NBA draft pick) Cory Joseph. The frontcourt is incredibly thin -- Alex Wangmene, who averaged 9.6 minutes last season, is the most experienced returner -- but the backcourt holds promise in the form of Myck Kabongo, one of the best freshman point guard prospects in the country. Many are sleeping on Texas this season and understandably so, but perhaps Barnes and Kabongo have some surprises in store.

6 p.m. ET: (Likely) George Mason at (likely) Virginia Tech (ESPNU)

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, both teams will need to -- and should -- beat their cupcake first-round NIT Season Tip-Off opponents Monday night. Assuming all goes according to plan, Mason's trip to Blacksburg should be fascinating. Former Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt has much to prove at GMU this season, while Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg has spent the past four seasons languishing on wrong side of the NCAA tournament bubble. Greenberg was hoping for the healthy return of senior JT Thompson, but Thompson lost his season to another ACL tear two weeks ago. How a younger, retooled Tech team rebounds from this latest setback -- and whether it can be a spoiler in the top-heavy ACC -- is just of the questions surrounding both teams here. Perhaps the Marathon will yield some answers.

(Editor's Note: Well, so much for that. The all-Virginia matchup was spoiled when Florida International -- Zeke! -- upset George Mason in double OT Monday night. So the Panthers will now face the Hokies in Blacksburg with a chance to send Isiah Thomas to [gasp] Madison Square Garden for the NIT semifinals. Oh my.)

7 p.m. ET: Albany/Brown at No. 5 Syracuse (ESPN3)

Syracuse should roll in these early portions of the NIT Season Tip-Off. Neither Albany nor Brown are likely to put up much of a fight against the No. 5 team in the country. But there are always lessons to learn in early-season action, and there are some questions about this Syracuse team. Can Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche take good shots, manage the game and make the Orange better than the sum of their talented parts? After a disappointing freshman season, is Fab Melo ready for a breakout campaign? Which, if any, of Jim Boeheim's talented youngsters will step up and take a major role as a freshman? Is Syracuse a national title contender? That seems like a lot to learn in one game, let alone against the likes of Albany or Brown. We won't get all the answers Tuesday night, but the glimpses will be worth noting.

Anthony Davis and his fellow UK freshmen will get their first true test on Tuesday night. AP Photo/James Crisp

7 p.m. ET: No. 6 Duke vs. Michigan State in New York (ESPN/ESPN3)

If you've made it this far in the Marathon, you're dog tired. Your vision may be faulty. You may be considering a warm bath and 15 hours of sleep. And then, if you're anything like me, your adrenaline will kick in. Why? Because this is when things get really good. Two of the nation's most prominent and consistently successful programs squaring off in Madison Square Garden for the inaugural Champions Classic? It's a massive fixture for more than its sheer basketball content. There will be plenty of that, of course. We'll get to see if Michigan State is ready to exceed expectations earlier than usual, and we'll get to learn more about a young Duke team that showcased plenty of its flaws in Friday night's escape vs. Belmont. More importantly, we'll get to see a coaching icon go for his 903rd win, the one that will nudge him above his mentor Bob Knight and make him the winningest coach in Division I college hoops history. If you're a UNC fan with an abiding hatred of Coach K, you can feel free to ignore the historic proceedings, but the rest of us will be watching.

7 p.m. ET: Rutgers at Miami (ESPN3)

The ACC is ripe for the sleeper team pickings. With such a wide-open league, the opportunity for a group to take the reins and push codified contenders North Carolina, Duke and Florida State might be easier than ever. Could Miami be that team? New Hurricanes coach Jim Larranaga will have to overcome some significant challenges to do so, namely the loss of forward Julian Gamble to an ACL tear and Reggie Johnson to a knee surgery that will sideline him until December. But Miami's guards -- Malcolm Grant and Durand Scott -- are among the most experienced in the ACC. That experience could give them the edge against Rutgers, where coach Mike Rice didn't hesitate to add four freshman guards (from a recruiting class ranked No. 16 in the nation) to the rotation in the Scarlet Knights' season-opening win over Dartmouth.

7 p.m. ET: La Salle at Villanova (ESPN3)

Like their Big East counterparts Syracuse, this shouldn't -- emphasis on shouldn't (it is the Big 5 after all) -- be much of a test for Villanova. The Explorers lost three starters, including their entire frontcourt, from a team that finished 15-18 last season. Nova fans are used to rolling easy opponents, but things have gotten ugly in Philly lately. The Wildcats collapsed in 2010, and a six-game losing streak to close last season gave the Cats the distinction of being the only team in history to lose their final six games and still receive an NCAA tournament bid. Villanova fans are desperate to put the past two seasons' disappointments behind them. Friday's season opener, a 106-70 win over Monmouth, was a promising start, and the presence of talented returners like Maalik Wayns, Dominic Cheek (who scored 27 in the season opener) and Mouphtaou Yarou bodes well. But there's a long road ahead.