On November 2, 2026, The Field of 68 will host a nonstop 24‑hour marathon of college basketball games to mark the beginning of the 2026‑27 season, a move that revives the excitement of a full‑day opening slate that has not been seen in nearly a decade.
The action will be split between two cities: Rock Hill in South Carolina and Sioux Falls in South Dakota, giving fans in the Southeast and the Upper Midwest a chance to experience the opening day without traveling far.
Eight games are slated, headlined by a 11:30 a.m. ET showdown between Murray State and Tennessee State and a 2:00 p.m. ET clash pitting UTEP against Northern Kentucky, while five teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last year, including High Point, will also be on the schedule.
Broadcast and Legacy
All games will be streamed on The Field of 68’s YouTube channel and its X feed, providing a digital‑first approach that mirrors the network’s earlier partnership with ESPN, which ran a similar marathon from 2008 to 2017.
Organizers say the event is designed to spark renewed interest in the season, attract new viewers, and build momentum for the weeks of competition that follow, while also honoring the tradition that made opening day a marquee date on the college basketball calendar.
Tickets for the Sioux Falls and Rock Hill contests are available through Ticketmaster and VisitYorkCounty.com, respectively, ensuring that fans can secure seats for the marathon’s most anticipated matchups.