Have Breakfast with the Broncs on November 13

While much of the Eastern Time Zone is dunking donuts in their morning coffee, Rider’s men’s basketball will be looking for dunks in their 6 a.m. tilt against Stony Brook in Alumni Gym, part of ESPN’s 24 Hours of College Basketball on Tuesday, November 13.

That’s right, 6 a.m.

In what’s become an annual rite of fall, the cable sports giant will herald the start of the college basketball season by televising the 24-hour marathon of games, with Rider taking on Stony Brook in the surprisingly coveted 6 a.m. time slot. The game also marks the head coaching debut of Kevin Baggett.

This is the second year in a row that the Broncs have hosted ESPN at dawn, while many hoops fans will be able to watch the game over their orange juice and eggs, the Rider community is expected to fill Alumni Gym to capacity for the “White Out,” a visible show of support to back the Broncs in which fans will receive a white Rider basketball T-shirt and a white rally towel.

“Students and employees are encouraged to join the fun and show ESPN viewers our school spirit and pride by helping us pack Alumni Gym for live TV that morning,” said Don Harnum, director of Athletics.

Alumni Gym will open at 5 a.m. Tickets are still available at ticketleap.com, at the ticket window on game day, or by calling 609-896-5054.

The Rider-Stony Brook game will be the fourth game of the day, which begins at 12:01 a.m. that morning when West Virginia meets Gonzaga. Rider’s appearance on ESPN will follow the 4 a.m. Houston Baptist-Hawaii game and precede the matchup of Northern Illinois and the Valparaiso at 8 a.m.

The Broncs begin their regular season schedule this weekend when they host Robert Morris on Friday, November 9, at Alumni Gym. Following the early morning Stony Brook game, Rider will meet in-state rival Monmouth on Saturday, November 17, also in Lawrenceville.