Chris Russo will often find things to rant about. It’s kind of the brand he’s built.
This week, “Mad Dog” decided to emerge with a gripe that might resonate well with everyone else: The NCAA Tournament tip times.
Mad Dog ranted about several topics on First Take related to this past weekend’s NCAA Tournament, both the men’s and women’s. After revealing that he had taken issue with the free throw discrepancy in the Iowa-West Virginia women’s basketball game, Russo turned his attention back to the men’s game. Russo ranted about the start times for the games, even while he admitted he was in “Gummy Land” on Saturday.
“These starting times for the NCAA Tournaments… I mean, you’re starting games on the East Coast at 11 o’clock at night. Saturday and Sunday nights, you have these games end at 1 o’clock in the morning. College basketball’s not big enough to go 12 consecutive hours and have all these standalone games. And have the game go 2 and a half hours because they’re looking at replay with flagrant fouls or if the ball’s slapped out of bounds by somebody!”
Russo wasn’t finished, highlighting that this week is Holy Week. Easter Sunday is this weekend, of course. Russo then aimed at the start times on Thursday night.
“Illinois and Iowa State, and the game is in Boston! Illinois and Iowa State is at 10:09! And then the next night, you have Creighton-Tennessee, and it’s the same thing. And they’re on an East Coast time zone, too! They’re in Detroit!”
Russo readied his final statement and launched.
“Friday is Good Friday… It’s Holy Thursday on Thursday! And I gotta stay up till 1:45 in the morning to watch a 2-hour, 45-minute college basketball game!? That is an absolute disgrace!”
Amid the rant, Russo does have a point about the peculiar start times for the Regional Semifinals. Despite playing on the West Coast, Clemson and Arizona will lead off the Sweet 16 on Thursday night ahead of action in Boston. Granted, North Carolina will play the nightcap, and perhaps CBS wanted the “primetime” game, but it’s still somewhat peculiar.
That said, this is not the first time we’ve ranted about start times, and it will probably not be the last. And to his point about college basketball not being “big enough” for 12 consecutive hours? Well… that counteracts the entire history of the NCAA Tournament, especially since people adore the first weekend—specifically, the first two days, because of all the basketball.
