For the second straight year, Your Drexel Dragons are the morning buffet for ESPN’s 24-hour hoops marathon that begins tonight at midnight. Last year, the Dragons played Penn at the DAC at 10 a.m. This time, the wake-up call comes much sooner: Drexel is at Niagara for a game that will start at 8 in the morning.

The Daily News‘ Philly Hoops Insider says the Dragons plan to get to the gym by 6:45 a.m., which isn’t much different from their usual practice times of 7 or 7:30 a.m. Awaiting the 0-1 Dragons will be a Purple Eagles team that lost to Auburn, 69-65, in its opener Friday. Niagara had won 26 games last year and reached the NIT, and seniors Bilal Benn (a guard/forward and a Villanova transfer) and Tyrone Lewis (a guard) are both Philly natives, and both were picked first-team to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s preseason all-league team. The Purple Eagles were also picked to finish second behind Siena in the MAAC this season.

Links: Drexel, Temple to be in ESPN’s 24-hour marathon [BIG FIVE POST]
Breakfast with Bruiser [Philly Hoops Insider]