The Field of 68 bringing back the 24-hour college basketball marathon
Posted: August 11, 2026
The Field of 68 is partnering with Visit York County at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center as well as Sanford Sports and the Sanford Pentagon to bring back one of the best events in college sports: The 24-hour college basketball marathon. On Nov. 2, 2026, the Field of 68 will be broadcasting ‘The Field of 68 24-Hour Opening Day Marathon,’ an eight-game, all-day event featuring some of the best mid-major programs college basketball has to offer.
The games will be broadcast on The Field of 68’s YouTube Channel and X feeds, and the network’s popular After Dark show will be broadcast live after the final game with a set at The Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
The 24-hour marathon began as an ESPN event in 2008 and ran annually through 2017.
“The schedule to open the college basketball season has been awful for years with the best teams in the country playing bottom-feeders, sometimes even non-D1 opponents,” said Jeff Goodman, co-founder of the Field of 68. “Fans wanted us to bring the 24-hour marathon back, and we wanted to create some of the best mid-major matchups in doing so.”
Goodman, who was the impetus behind bringing back the marathon, will be awake for all 24 hours of the event, as he will be on the call for each of the six games in Rock Hill.
Five teams participating in the Marathon reached last year’s NCAA Tournament, including High Point, the only mid-major to reach the second round. Of the 16 teams in the event, 11 won more than 20 games last season, while nine are currently projected as the favorite to win their league. In total, 14 conferences are represented in the event.
“It is an honor to be in a position to bring back this event, and to be able to platform some of the elite programs in the country that exist outside the sport’s traditional power structure,” Field of 68 co-founder Rob Dauster said. “This is a great opportunity for us to be able to provide more coverage for these teams that frankly don’t get enough, and we don’t take that responsibility lightly.”
The Marathon begins in Rock Hill, S.C., with the first four games taking place in the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center:
- High Point vs. Liberty, Midnight ET/11 pm CT
- Grambling vs. Northern Illinois, 3 am ET/2am CT
- Appalachian State vs Merrimack, 6 am ET/5am CT
- Queens vs. Winthrop, 9 am ET/8 am CT
The next two games will be played in Sioux Falls, SD:
- Murray State vs. Tennessee State, 11:30 am ET/10:30 am CT
- UTEP vs. Northern Kentucky, 2 pm ET/1 pm CT
And the final two games will be played back in Rock Hill, S.C.:
- UAB vs. McNeese State, 5:30 pm ET/4:30 pm CT
- Furman vs. Bethune-Cookman, 8 pm ET/7 pm CT
Tickets are currently on sale at ticketmaster.com for the games in Sioux Falls, S.D., and they will go on sale on September 1st on Vivenu for the games in Rock Hill, S.C.
“The Sanford Pentagon is honored to be part of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon for the third straight season,” said Jesse Smith, vice president of Sanford Sports. “We’re grateful to Rob, Jeff, and the entire Field of 68 crew for including the Pentagon and the city of Sioux Falls in what’s become one of the best traditions in college basketball.”
"Visit York County is proud to welcome the Opening Day Marathon back to Rock Hill for a second consecutive year. The success of last year's event created the opportunity to expand this year's field from six teams to twelve, allowing us to generate an even greater economic impact for our community while showcasing York County as a premier destination for collegiate sporting events. We're especially excited that this year's marathon will feature a nationally streamed midnight tipoff, creating a unique experience for fans across the country. This event is a testament to what can be accomplished through strong partnerships, and we're grateful to work alongside Rock Hill Parks, Recreation & Tourism, Discover South Carolina, and the Field of 68 Media Network to continue elevating Rock Hill and York County on the national stage."
