4 p.m. ET: No. 24 Virginia Tech at No. 3 Kansas State (ESPN/ESPN3) -- And here we go. One of the three or four truly marquee matchups of the marathon, Virginia Tech-Kansas State has everything: Two top 25 teams and conference contenders, two brilliant scorers at the guard position (Kansas State's Jacob Pullen and Virginia Tech's Malcolm Delaney) and a raucous home-court environment that will instantly remind you of all you've missed so dearly in the past seven months. It's also a major proving ground for Tech, which has barely missed the NCAA tournament in the past few seasons thanks largely to lackluster nonconference schedules. With a win, the Hokies would go a long way toward solving that problem early. At the very least, Hokies coach Seth Greenberg won't have to hear the scheduling criticism this time around. This is a beast of a game for the his team. And for fans of college hoops, too.