---
title: "Overnight College Hoops Marathon Tips Off Monday in Rock Hill"
url: https://www.hererockhill.com/2026/10/30/overnight-college-hoops-marathon-tips-off-in-rock-hill/
date: 2026-10-30T05:46:30-04:00
modified: 2026-10-30T05:46:30-04:00
author: "Erica B. Montoya"
categories: ["Sports"]
site: "HERE Rock Hill"
attribution: "HERE Rock Hill"
---

# Overnight College Hoops Marathon Tips Off Monday in Rock Hill

> ROCK HILL, S.C. — College basketball’s new season will start in the middle of the night in Rock Hill, where the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center hosts six games Monday, Nov. 2, as part of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon. Doors open at 11 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. The first tip comes

*Source: [HERE Rock Hill](https://www.hererockhill.com/2026/10/30/overnight-college-hoops-marathon-tips-off-in-rock-hill/) — October 30, 2026 by Erica B. Montoya*

ROCK HILL, S.C. — College basketball’s new season will start in the middle of the night in Rock Hill, where the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center hosts six games Monday, Nov. 2, as part of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon.

Doors open at 11 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. The first tip comes at 12:01 a.m. with High Point against Liberty, followed by Grambling State and Northern Illinois at 3 a.m. Appalachian State then faces Merrimack at 6 a.m. in the season opener for the Mountaineers, who are starting their eighth season under coach Dustin Kerns.

Merrimack arrives as the reigning regular-season champion of the Metro, the league formerly known as the MAAC, after going 23-11 last season. The Warriors play an aggressive 4-1 zone that kept opponents to 30.3 percent shooting from 3-point range a year ago.

App State already knows the building. The Mountaineers beat Winthrop 76-67 in an exhibition at the downtown arena on Oct. 17.

Visit York County is presenting the event with support from Rock Hill Parks, Recreation & Tourism. Eight games make up the full marathon, and six of them are being played in Rock Hill.