The national championship is tonight! A lot of us will be close to our bedtimes, but yeah, the national championship is tonight.
We should all be excited for the NCAA March Madness men’s national championship Monday night. After all, it’s a heavyweight matchup between two No. 1 seeds in Purdue and UConn, with the latter being the defending national champions.
But unfortunately for us, the game, which happens to be out West in Glendale, Arizona, is starting incredibly late, especially when you consider I have a 10:00 p.m. (ET) bedtime. I know a lot of you guys are in the same boat. (RELATED: Caitlin Clark Issues Final Farewell To Iowa Before Heading To WNBA)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – APRIL 06: Jaylin Stewart #3 and Stephon Castle #5 of the Connecticut Huskies celebrate in the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at State Farm Stadium on April 06, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – APRIL 07: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies speaks after winning the The Naismith Coach of the Year award during the Naismith Awards Brunch at Phoenix Art Museum on April 07, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – APRIL 07: Zach Edey of the Purdue Boilermakers (R) hugs his mom Julia Edey prior to winning the Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year award during the Naismith Awards Brunch at Phoenix Art Museum on April 07, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – APRIL 06: Braden Smith #3, Lance Jones #55, and Zach Edey #15 of the Purdue Boilermakers walk across the court in the first half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at State Farm Stadium on April 06, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
There’s a crap load of interest in this game from a ton of people, including myself. You have the storylines of Zach Edey potentially getting over the hump to win a national championship ring and the fact that UConn has the opportunity to repeat as national champions. And then, outside of that, you also have the betting element. (I’ll be scoping for value, you better believe it.)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – APRIL 06: Zach Edey #15 of the Purdue Boilermakers handles the ball while being guarded by DJ Burns Jr. #30 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the second half in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at State Farm Stadium on April 06, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – APRIL 06: Zach Edey #15 of the Purdue Boilermakers battles for a rebound against Jayden Taylor #1, Mohamed Diarra #23, and DJ Burns Jr. #30 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the first half in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at State Farm Stadium on April 06, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – APRIL 06: The Connecticut Huskies bench celebrates in the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at State Farm Stadium on April 06, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – APRIL 06: Cam Spencer #12 of the Connecticut Huskies celebrates after making a shot in the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at State Farm Stadium on April 06, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – APRIL 06: Rylan Griffen #3 of the Alabama Crimson Tide attempts a shot while being guarded by Donovan Clingan #32 of the Connecticut Huskies in the second half in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at State Farm Stadium on April 06, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
But it’s hard to achieve 100% happiness about this game being on the horizon and that’s because the game (which is being televised on TBS) is slated for a 9:20 p.m. (ET) start time. And with that being the case and knowing how commercialized everything is nowadays, we’re looking at more of a 9:30 p.m. start time.
So, this game probably won’t be over until midnight; just absolutely ridiculous.
The national title game starts at 9:20 pm for people on the East Coast, and that’s downright insane.
National title game start times need to be fixed, and @dhookstead has a solution.
DETAILS: https://t.co/PjyM3rKnaL pic.twitter.com/4gTVaCoeeF
— OutKick (@Outkick) April 8, 2024
It’s time to end the late start times, NCAA, because this is some straight-up nonsense.