It is finally here

So to me we are reaching the best time in sports, the time of year when there is so much sports you can hardly find a night with nothing to watch. The NFL is in the middle of its season, college football is shaping up its BCS standings, the NBA is getting going, and college basketball is taking off the practice jerseys and putting on game shorts.

Tonight starts the 24 hour marathon of college basketball on ESPN, culminating with two big games on Tuesday night, Gonzaga at Michigan St., and number one Kansas hosting Memphis at home. This is a great concept that really makes it an interesting night, morning, afternoon and then night again for schools. It is helping some of the little guys get on the network, and the fans and universities are really getting into it.

To ensure the 24 hours of basketball there are teams that had to agree to game times that might not usually be found on a schedule. Those might include a Monmouth at St. Peter's game scheduled to tip off at 6 a.m., and an eight o'clock tip for Drexel at Niagara. This is a special event though, and good publicity and these universities are well aware.

The early season tournaments are some of the most interesting basketball of the season too I think. The anticipation of will we see Roy Williams face Jim Boeheim for the first time since the 2003 National Championship with UNC and Syracuse in the 2K Sports Classic? Will Duke and UCONN meet up in the Finals of the Preseason NIT presented by Dick's Sporting Goods? And what coach, or team, will look the most ridiculous in their Hawaiian shirts at the Maui Invitational this year?

I think that little nuances like this is what really makes college sports special, and this time of year special. Sure March Madness is great with the NBA and NHL playoff pictures coming together, but I do not mind 24 hours of basketball following Monday Night Football, to lead me into NBA basketball before the weekend of football.