Can you recall how late the national championship game typically tips off? The ultimate matchup to determine the king of college hoops has traditionally begun way too late for East Coast viewers to properly enjoy.
I mean, would you want to watch a basketball game at 9:20 on a weekday if you were a casual fan deciding how you wanted to spend your night? BYU basketball played Colorado at 9:00 PM just last week, and I nearly died.
Worry no longer, you casual fan who is reading this brief update on the internet. Your prayers have been answered and the tip-off time has been adjusted to meet you (somewhat) in the middle.
🚨 National Championship tip-off time!
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) January 28, 2025
The 2025 National Championship will tip off at 8:50pm ET - 30 minutes earlier than the typical start time. pic.twitter.com/h39KTt16Q0
An official announcement from NCAA March Madness shared a new tip-off time of 8:50 PM ET. That's 6:50 PM for you Mountain Time enthusiasts.
Now, of course, we've grown accustomed to tuning in at the beginning of an event only for commercials and other distractions to take center stage as we wait for the "okay" from our corporate overlords to begin the basketball game.
A major announcement? Maybe not. But if the Cougars find a way to scrape and claw into the national championship game, I hope you'll remember what you learned here today.