College Basketball Fans Were Frustrated by National Title Game's Late Tipoff Time

Karl Rasmussen | Apr 7, 2025

The Houston Cougars and the Florida Gators line up for opening tip of the national title game. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The national championship game of the 2025 NCAA tournament tipped off at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Monday night, but fans had plenty of complaints leading up to the game’s start.

College basketball fans were frustrated by the late tip-off time for the national title game, as the bout between the Houston Cougars and Florida Gators wasn't scheduled to get underway until 8:50 p.m. ET, and as is the case with virtually every North American sporting event, didn't start until a couple of minutes after that.

Comparing the Houston-Florida showdown to that of the women's final between UConn and South Carolina, which tipped off at 3:00 p.m. ET, fans couldn't help but voice their disdain for the late start for Monday's clash.

They sounded off on social media, making clear they wished the game got going a bit earlier.

FYI: You don’t get credit for moving the tip up from 9:20 when the tip is still 8:50. Still an awful thing to do to sports fans.

— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) April 8, 2025

Tipping the #NCAAChampionship at 8:50pm ET? I get time zones, but it better be wildly entertaining or a large chunk of the audience will turn it off early. Even primetime NFL doesn't start that late on the east coast.😳🏀

— Amy Lawrence (@ALawRadio) April 7, 2025

Annual tweet: 9:00pm tip off? Why not just make it midnight? Or 3am?

— Molly (@FSUmollz) April 8, 2025

In what world does it make sense for this game to tip off at 9pm tonight?

I’m not saying it needs to be 6pm but what’s wrong with 7:30p or 8p?

— Cons (@CaptainCons) April 7, 2025

850p tip off. The NCAA hates the east coast

— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) April 7, 2025

Tipping off your National Championship at 9 PM on a Monday night is crazy person behavior

— College Football Watcher (@CFBWatcher) April 8, 2025

Of course, the championship game of the NCAA tournament regularly has a late tip-off. Still, fans, particularly those on the East Coast, voiced their contempt for the 8:50 p.m. start time.

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