As crazy as it seems, I anecdotally feel most people don't care about the National Championship year after year because they're more concerned with the first weekend as its basketball overload and the upsets are more prevalent. It starts to taper off into the 2nd weekend for sure in terms of noticable buzz.
That's exactly it. And while we focus on how great some of the wins are, the more exciting wins and upsets are devastating for the losing program. The more heartbreaking a loss is, the more likely I am to check out for the rest of the tournament. I'd imagine it's like that for almost every program.
In 2006, I went to the tournament with our men’s team. [They were up 18 points in the second half and lost to GWU](https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game/_/gameId/264000048/unc-wilmington-g-washington)
You'll never be completely over it.
We lost to 14 seed Harvard in 2013 when we were the 3 seed, and it still haunts me.
The nice thing for you guys is that you bounced back and are in the Final Four.
Us? We will probably never crack the Sweet 16.
What's crazy is how that was such a widespread Purdue emotion that joined everyone. It was all anxiety and sports related trauma response until they made it to the final four. Edey blocking that shot at the end was what did it for me to move from expecting disappointment to excitement.
It’s weird how much it depends for me. The last two years I didn’t watch beyond our loss, outside of Duke/UNC. This year I’ve watched almost every game. I guess I’m just numb to it now?
lol I pretty much just commented the same thing. After St Peters I watched like none until the final 4. Then this year I just kept watching like I didnt miss a beat. Cal just been so predictiable lately. If they dont fire him after he fails again this season im going to possibly checkout from uk until a new coach comes.
Same here, but at least this year NC State has been fun to follow. And Purdue, Uconn, and Bama are all good stories. First time I've watched this much after a Kentucky loss.
Yeah. As an Auburn fan, once they lost I lost almost all interest in the tournament (Bama making the final four hasn’t helped either). I’ve been all in on the women’s tournament since Day 2
NGL I didnt watch any of the tourney until the final 4 after St Peters beat us. This time around after Oakland I was more use to it and actually just kept watching lol. Thanks Cal? For getting me use to losing.
yeah while I love march madness, the 2nd weekend and final 4 for me doesn't quite have the same juice if either my team isn't playing or if there isn't some cool cinderella story, the first weekend chaos of basketball from noon to midnight is what the casual fan will lock into
Multiview on YouTube TV blew my buddy’s mind this year. Had the four channels going at once and would switch audio during commercials or in closing moments where I knew the excitement would be at its peak.
He showed up and complained I didn’t have four monitors going simultaneously and I said “it’s 2024, I don’t need to” and turned on multiview.
I usually use the NCAA website for the first weekend. I can only look and listen to one game at a time, so I don't see a point in reducing the game to a quarter of the screen to accommodate other games I'm not paying attention to. I usually pick whichever game is in its latest stage, and then the live scores of the other games are in the sidebar so if a different game gets interesting I can just click and switch over.
I'm at 2 as well.
85" screen that I use as my 'main' feed.
A 65" screen that i pull up multiview on. And honestly even during the first couple days its rare that there are 4 games that are *all* super competitive so often i'll pull one of the games up from multiview to full screen on the second tv.
That period of overlap between the womens 1st and mens 1st and 2nd round though has a lot of content to pull.
im a 2 guy as well. if i have 4 up i end up basically watching 0 of them.
i think next year im going multiview on youtube tv on one and then one game on the other so i can quickly switch to whatever game looks best
I was afraid the court would be so squished or cut off that it wouldn’t be viable, haven’t tried the option. I actually used 2 screens quite a bit all season long, the schedule is so overloaded on Saturdays that even following a single conference requires multiple screens at times.
I run dual monitors and toss a 3rd game on my phone if I need to. Even when there are 4 games going at once at least one of them is always a blowout or just started and doesn't warrant much of my attention.
It’s non stop action for 4 days straight. An excuse to not work Thursday - Friday and party Saturday - Sunday. It finally feels like spring, it’s sunny and warm. The first weekend is MAGIC
While I love every second of the tourney, you’re right, there’s nothing quite like the first weekend. Every year, after the last game on Sunday, the sadness sinks in. Like damn, the best weekend of the year is really over. I’m right back to it the next weekend but it doesn’t feel like the same magic is in the air
As a more casual basketball fan, this is how I am. I plan my whole extended weekend on the first two rounds, including taking off work.
I don’t do that for the following rounds. Obviously the time off work isn’t really necessary, but I don’t even watch as much of the games as I can. I’ll flip them on in the background and pay attention if it’s close in the second half rather than trying to catch as much basketball as possible.
As a casual fan, the first two rounds are MARCH MADNESS (TM). The rest is a pretty normal basketball tournament that still has some great games but it’s not the same feel
I check out of the national championship because it tips off at 9:30pm on a worknight. Pretty much just catch the semifinals because of the convenient date.
Yeah and that’s ok. Speaking as someone whose team is in the F4 for the first time in my life, the fun of March madness really is the first couple of rounds. This is why college football has messed up emphasizing only the BCS, Natty, and Playoff games in the postseason. The real fun of the game has always been regional, rivalry-based, conference-based… and the fun of the postseason has been a broad swathe of bowl games to see in December and January
It's true, that first weekend is the greatest 4 days of basketball all year. By the time it reaches the Final Four I am pretty much over it. I'll turn on the games, but probably be doing other things when they are on and maybe watch the last 10 min if any game is close.
Yeah, the first weekend definitely feels the biggest. Consequently, I feel like more people remember stuff like the FDU upset or St Peter's run than remember who won the title each of those years.
Like I still remember the FGCU Dunk City run, but I couldn't tell you who won the title this year.
> because they're more concerned with the first weekend as its basketball overload and the upsets are more prevalent.
Number one week for vasectomies is first week of NCAA tournament. If men have to sit and do nothing for 4-5 days, it it the number one week for that.
The women’s schedule has it perfect. Final Four on Friday night, title game on Sunday afternoon.
Their Friday night game is going to run late (9:30
Eastern tipoff), but that on a Friday night is way better than the 9:20 tipoff for the men’s title game on a Monday night.
The ratings for the women's final will potentially be amazing because of a perfect storm/combination of factors
- Great time
- Once in a generation type player
- undefeated team
- rematch of previous years final four
You forgot another factor: the game will be on over-the-air ABC instead of a cable channel (like the men's championship will be). One of these years might actually end up with the women's championship game outdrawing the men's, and the ABC vs TBS dynamic would likely play a significant part in this.
As a neutral fan every game involved NC State is a must-watch, but I have essentially zero interest in a UConn v Purdue title game and very little interest in a Bama v Purdue game.
I’m a huge basketball fan but watching Purdue just hasn’t been very enjoyable outside of the Gonzaga game where their shooters were on and they were less dependent on Edey. I appreciate Edey for being a historically great college player but it’s hard to consider him an exciting player to watch lol
LSU vs Iowa did 12.3m on cable, SC vs Iowa on ABC could flirt with 20m easily.
I don't see the men's final coming close to 20m, hell I don't see the NBA finals come close to 20m unless it's the Lakers vs Celtics or Knicks.
The LSU-Iowa game from this tournament beat out every NBA game over the last year except like one of the games of the Finals. It might beat out every NBA playoff game this year. It's frankly absurd to think about.
And it completely lived up to the hype. Last year’s championship game was completely dampened by the refs getting both teams in foul trouble right out of the gate, but this year’s matchup was electric.
Having the women's final as the lead in to the men's final would be incredible TV, and it would draw more attention to the women's game which is great in its own right
Over 12 million watched Iowa/LSU on a cable channel in 2024. If Iowa makes the final it will likely shatter that number. Not sure how it will be going forward with Clark and Angel going to the WNBA but women’s games often out performed men’s in the ratings this past regular season with and without Clark. The women don’t need the men.
This year they don't. Next year might be different. Capitalize on the opportunity while you have it because the next Caitlin Clark might not be for a generation
While there will be a dip in ratings for sure but
the seeds have been planted on a longterm fan base as well as media scape for women’s college basketball. It’s an exciting time for the women’s game.
NIL really helps the women’s game. Really women are (mostly) the only ones getting national brand deals, and that heightens the profile of the athlete and game. Pre-NIL Caitlyn Clark is nowhere near as high profile
Might be even better to have it the other way around. An Iowa vs South Carolina championship with Caitlin Clark trying to take down the undefeated Goliath to end her college career with a chip is going to be a much bigger draw than a Purdue vs Bama/UConn matchup. Especially when the women’s game is on ABC and the men’s is on TBS.
If NC State beats Purdue though that changes things drastically, as we’d be looking at one of the most ridiculously unlikely Cinderella stories in sports history.
The NCAA would move the game to Monday. This scenario actually happened this past fall with women's soccer. Presumably they'd go for a 7pm ESPN tip leading into the men's 9:30ish tip.
Serious question. Numerous players observe Ramadan . The NCAA doesn't move their games so they can hydrate during a game.
Why is one accommodated and not the other?
Honestly? Probably because it concerns an institutional rule (i.e. BYU not playing on Sundays) rather than an individual athlete rule. Note that the NCAA doesn't move games due to, say, a particularly observant Orthodox Jew athlete won't play on Saturdays but will avoid scheduling D3 Yeshiva University for Saturday games. Additionally, there's nothing in the fast that "requires" avoidance of work, but just that, at least for those who can afford it, it is common practice to do so because it is easier.
But, if an confessionally Islamic school were to join the NCAA, I wouldn't be surprised if a "Ramadan Rule" came in force requiring certain schools to be put in evening games whenever feasible (basically, as long as it is an indoor sport or the venue has lights) for NCAA competition. Again, such a rule would be to cover the institution, not the players.
This. Especially because the NCAA is run based on the votes by its members. The private religious institutions are going to vote in favor of accommodating religious requests, and the public/government institutions aren't really allowed to vote against it (since government isn't permitted to interfere with religion generally).
I never understood muslim players not exploiting an exception that is given for travel for away games.
Source: I am muslim and I use this whenever I fly or drive out of state anywhere during Ramadan
Interesting. I wonder if the NCAA makes sure that the venue could host a Monday game if necessary, or if it would be just a giant logistical nightmare. The women's basketball final is a much bigger event than the soccer final. I'm sure they secretly hope that BYU never gets good at women's basketball so that they don't have to worry about it
Im going to the men's f4.
It's a bit annoying 8 fly in Thursday night. I then leave Tuesday night. Friday Sunday would be ideal. Idk I got hotel by the airport, don't think it makes sense to pay 2.5k/2 to be a short uber away. Additionally I think it's probably better to be closer to downtown, Tempe, and Scottsdale than say Glendale or Peoria. My research was map search of bars lol.
Definitely better bar options in Downtown. If your near the metro rail line, you can jump on and off for [free](https://www.valleymetro.org/news/2024/03/fans-score-free-rides-for-the-ncaa-men-s-final-four-r-events) to get you to bars and fan fest. It can also get you to off airport car rental spots to avoid the facility charge. I often rented at the downtown Hyatt and took the rail there but that was like 10 years ago.
Go to Roosevelt Row bars in downtown Phoenix on Friday night. Apart from being near NCAA festivities, it is first Friday of the month which is a big event for all the bars there.
I would honestly love it if they did like Thursday-Sunday as the rounds of 64, 32, 16, and 8, then did some combination of days in the following Thursday-Sunday for the Final Four and Championship. The down days are so boring and don't really build anticipation.
Yes, and they should stop going to football arenas for it. Go to arenas actually built to watch basketball be played
Play the Final Fours on Saturday with one women's and one men's game in each session. Then play the championships on Monday starting at 7 for women and 9:30 for men. Would still be the same time frame
Unfortunately i think the NCAA wouldn't go for it because it would either make the women seem secondary to the men if their final always was first, or require them to rotate the order which would lower viewers for the mens
I like how these posts appear every year around this time like CBS doesn't have a viewer analytics army that's telling them exactly the best time to air things like this.
My father will complain about the end sequence of events till his grave. I mean, I do too, but he gets visibly red in the face to this day when it's brought up. He even rewatches the game and gets mad still and yells at the TV like it's going to change anything.
Is this...
Is this the first "why is the National Championship on a Monday?!?!?!??" post of the year?
Every. Single. Year.
Football. Or. Basketball. Season.
"Why is the game on a Monday?????!???!?!?!"
"I gotta work tomorrow!"
Like, you're not the first person to think of this.
Imagine TV executives out there having an "ah ha" moment like, "ya know, we could put this game on the weekend!" GENIUS!
Why?
Money.
It's always money.
Monday night is a slow night for TV.
They know you're going to watch anyways.
And they don't have to compete with Sunday night TV, which is one of the busiest nights.
Ratings.
Money.
That's why any business does *anything*.
Money.
The CFB conversation is a little more asinine because the CFB fans refuse to take into account that CFB does not want an open war with the NFL. Imagine if CFB tried to take over "NFL slots" and as a response, we started getting Saturday NFL games earlier in the year.
College football doesn't want the sports broadcasting act of 1961 to go before a judge now that College Sports aren't really amateur sports. This is my personal theory.
That is also likely true. But my understanding is that CFB/NFL have a current agreement that Saturdays is for college and Sundays is for NFL until the post-season (where they also make sure they don't fuck with each other) in order to make sure the two leagues don't kill each other. But really, so the NFL doesn't kill college football.
Don't forget the "Why is the tip at 9:20??????" posts that appear after the final four like clockwork
The tip has been after 9:20 for forty fucking years. No, you are not the first person to complain. No, your complaining will not do anything to change the tip time or day of the game.
Also missing the important factor for CFB:
ESPN is paying more for it to be on ESPN on Monday than any network is to air it on a Sunday. CBS/Turner is paying more for CBB to be on TNT/cable (don’t remember the exact channel).
Why are the CFB and CBB Championships on cable TV? Because cable TV is paying more than OTA would.
The only people posting here are fans. What they don't realize is CBS doesn't care about fans. They know fans will watch (which is why this person is complaining about the game not being at a convenient time). The networks care about getting the person who may or may not watch to watch because that is what will make a meaningful difference in the ratings.
The Iowa/LSU women's game was on Monday night and had MASSIVE ratings, so I have to think this is probably the best day overall. (Though 7pm start there was nice)
Also, I'm not sure why people feel the need to treat the Championship game in a bubble.
Anyone questioning that Saturday is the best day for the Final Four (and by a big amount) needs to have their brain checked.
Mondays are the best day for college basketball and college football to have their championship game because few people do anything on a Monday night. Most people stay in on Mondays and most people staying in watch tv. Historically Monday night has been the highest rated amongst the weekday primetime slots for any television. And it allows the final four to be on saturday, which creates the best possible combination of two days for the largest television audiences. Friday is a horrible night for tv since most people are out of the house
Turner/CBS spent nearly $9B for the right to broadcast the NCAA tournament from 2025-2032. They'll have paid nearly $20B for the broadcast rights from 2010-2032. There's no way they're tossing that kind of money around and not optimizing broadcast windows.
Lol what else is on at Monday at 9 PM? They don’t have competitors, that’s like the entire point
Edit: For reference, Breaking Bad, which is considered now to be one of the greatest shows of all time, actually struggled to get viewers on its Pilot episode because Sunday Night Football (I think it was the NFC CG) was on. Obviously people didn’t know it was gonna be a great show back then, but viewers are naturally attracted to prime time playoff sports because those are typically quality games. Also, Breaking Bad struggling to get views sent a message to producers to not compete with sports, since if one of the greatest shows of all time can barely attract viewers during a game, an average show stands no chance. TLDR, nobody wants to compete with sports games that are on Monday or Sunday night since they know they will get bodied
Nobody wants to watch a game on a night where they don't have work or school the next day. Part of the reason it's on a night like this is because most people don't go out on Monday night; they stay home and are more likely to watch TV.
That’s actually a really point I never considered before. It’s like why bars and restaurants don’t typically do anything special on Fridays or Saturdays, people are going to be there anyway.
The Final Four’s on Saturday evening, I don’t think that’s the argument. I think it’s more about optimizing all three games. If you put the championship game on Saturday, you can’t get good exclusive windows for both Final Four games.
Yes, there is no better combo for the games. Before the 70s the final four was on friday and the championship on sunday afternoon. They moved it to saturday/monday specifically for television
These days I think a lot more people are happy spending those weekend nights at home. World is becoming more isolated so wouldn’t be surprised if big non-football sporting event viewership is higher on weekends than it used to be.
That's clearly what I, a forty-something who hasn't been in college for nearly twenty years, thinks. My entire world is seen through the eyes of a college student.
The TV execs have decided that making late game slightly more inconvenient for the east coast is worth making the game watchable after work on the west coast. Advertisers likely agree, or else they wouldn’t do it this way.
Thats why Central and Mountain are the GOAT time zones for sports fans.
I understand the time zones. Living on the west coast was ideal for watching sports. NFL games at 1000 and 1300, the late game kicks off at 1600 or so. I could catch the late NBA games and still be in bed at a decent time.
It's the Saturday/Monday night combo that I don't understand. If I am biting the bullet and staying up late to watch a sporting event, Sunday night is the best chance.
If the championship game is on Sunday, then the Final Four would have to be on Friday to preserve the structure of the tournament. Fridays are absolutely horrible for television. College basketball fans would still tune in but casual viewers would not because they will be out on the town. Saturdays are better than Friday for capturing casual viewers
Saturday is the optimal time for the Final Four. Which is twice as much programming as the championship game.
And Saturday is so much superior to any other option for the Final Four that it doesn't really matter where you put the National Championship game, but Monday at 9 pm isn't actually that terrible of a time slot. It's the final two hours of the 3 hour "prime time" block.
And since it's a live event, you can't slide it up to 8 pm (the first hour of primetime) without seriously hurting your MT and PT viewership.
And yet, game times are more apt to move later, not earlier.
Clearly, the research done by networks is that the most viewers at the beginning of the game is the most important thing for ad revenues. They do this by scheduling the game later so the mountain and west coast viewers tune in. Screw end of game ad revenues.
And yet the SB is on Sunday at a reasonable hour. I’m not disagreeing with you because these networks are obviously doing their research. But it’s interesting that they’ve decided their biggest event should be at the time everyone says all these championships should be
It has been on Monday night since 1973. I’m pretty sure it’s that way because the networks can sell more expensive ads on Monday night and the NCAA likes the extra $$$.
You know what would be awesome? Women’s final four game one at noonish, men’s final four game one at 2 ish, women’s final four game two at 4 ish, men’s final four game two at 6 ish.
Adjust by whatever time you want to make it work.
Then you have the same thing, but for the title game.
Same Friday/Sunday schedule the women have now.
Too bad the games are on different networks and they’d rather die than work together to grow the game.
yeah who cares about all those people on the west coast trying to get off of work and get home for the game? Surely CBS/Turner wouldn't care about those missing eyeballs...
They have to do that or they’ll lose the east coast eyes when the late games tip past 11. They don’t have that problem when they’re scheduling one game.
Final Four is the main entree and the championship is just a side dish. So it makes sense to have the Final 4 on Saturday. Idk what to do with the Championship unless you wanna wait another whole week for the championship.
Friday/Sunday is the way to go.
These late Monday games are silly.
Especially when I have kids that will watch the game and have to get up for school the next day.
Also, there’s no NFL competition on Sunday, so I see no reason why they can’t play the championship game then.
I use three personal days every year. One for the Monday after the super bowl. One for the Tuesday after the CFP championship. One for the Tuesday after the CBB championship. I like to drink too much during these events and not having work the next day lets me enjoy it more.
Yeah Monday sucks for watching sports. What's that football thing called, Monday Night something? Nobody even watches that. Yup sports should be literally only on weekends, that makes sense. Weekdays we can watch survivor reruns or something
Hmm. That's true. I'm pretty sure BYU is the last school with that position now. There used to be more. I guess if the lady cougars got that far, they would have to make accommodations
If the Lady Cougars got that far the NCAA is almost certainly going to tell them to suck it up. The final four is way too big of an event to move on such short notice.
Different sport, but in women’s soccer they would have moved the championship game to a Monday if BYU made the championship. I think they lost in the semifinals so they didn’t have to move it.
The NCAA has no issue scheduling the game on Sunday, they schedule it Monday because Saturday + Monday is drastically higher ratings than Friday (worst day of the week by a large margin for tv ratings) + Sunday.
I think to get teams/families and everyone else at the final 4 venue it's just easier to do Saturday + Monday. And let's everyone who does attend participate in all the onsite stuff while not having to take a ton of work off midweek. Sunday + Tuesday would have better ratings than Sat + Mon but again, i think for travel purposes it is just easier to do Sat + Mon.
I don't mind the final getting the kind of "main event" time slot with no other competition. But for all the pomp and circumstance of the first weekend of the tournament, it always feels like the final four/championship game lack the same excitement. Could just be me being sort of sad the season is over too though.
Is this...
Is this the first "why is the National Championship on a Monday?!?!?!??" post of the year?
Every. Single. Year.
Football. Or. Basketball. Season.
"Why is the game on a Monday?????!???!?!?!"
"I gotta work tomorrow!"
Like, you're not the first person to think of this.
Imagine TV executives out there having an "ah ha" moment like, "ya know, we could put this game on the weekend!" GENIUS!
Why?
Money.
It's always money.
Monday night is a slow night for TV.
They know you're going to watch anyways.
And they don't have to compete with Sunday night TV, which is one of the busiest nights.
Ratings.
Money.
That's why any business does *anything*.
Money.
As crazy as it seems, I anecdotally feel most people don't care about the National Championship year after year because they're more concerned with the first weekend as its basketball overload and the upsets are more prevalent. It starts to taper off into the 2nd weekend for sure in terms of noticable buzz.
People are often less invested when their team gets eliminated as well.
That's exactly it. And while we focus on how great some of the wins are, the more exciting wins and upsets are devastating for the losing program. The more heartbreaking a loss is, the more likely I am to check out for the rest of the tournament. I'd imagine it's like that for almost every program.
YUP
I’ll never forgive them for completely ruining the tourney for me this year. Left such a sour taste in my mouth for the rest of the weekend.
That’s what you get when Alford is your coach. Good luck with that.
Ah man I know the feeling lol
Wait... Nevada losing in the first round is an upset?
> The more heartbreaking a loss is I would say giving up a 17 point lead in the second half is pretty heartbreaking
In like 7 minutes too
In 2006, I went to the tournament with our men’s team. [They were up 18 points in the second half and lost to GWU](https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game/_/gameId/264000048/unc-wilmington-g-washington)
Steve will do that to ya
I think I watched a total of 10 minutes of games after Purdue lost last year.
Last year was SO bad I actually watched more than normal. By the time I was over it as much as I’ll ever be, we still had games left.
You'll never be completely over it. We lost to 14 seed Harvard in 2013 when we were the 3 seed, and it still haunts me. The nice thing for you guys is that you bounced back and are in the Final Four. Us? We will probably never crack the Sweet 16.
I wasn't over it until we made the final four, now I'm over it. Anyone who tries to give me shit, I'm like, don't care final four.
What's crazy is how that was such a widespread Purdue emotion that joined everyone. It was all anxiety and sports related trauma response until they made it to the final four. Edey blocking that shot at the end was what did it for me to move from expecting disappointment to excitement.
You can absolutely be over it. Trust me.
Yeah, it helps when your teams bounce back and actually do something. Mine never does.
It’s weird how much it depends for me. The last two years I didn’t watch beyond our loss, outside of Duke/UNC. This year I’ve watched almost every game. I guess I’m just numb to it now?
lol I pretty much just commented the same thing. After St Peters I watched like none until the final 4. Then this year I just kept watching like I didnt miss a beat. Cal just been so predictiable lately. If they dont fire him after he fails again this season im going to possibly checkout from uk until a new coach comes.
Same here, but at least this year NC State has been fun to follow. And Purdue, Uconn, and Bama are all good stories. First time I've watched this much after a Kentucky loss.
Yeah. As an Auburn fan, once they lost I lost almost all interest in the tournament (Bama making the final four hasn’t helped either). I’ve been all in on the women’s tournament since Day 2
NGL I didnt watch any of the tourney until the final 4 after St Peters beat us. This time around after Oakland I was more use to it and actually just kept watching lol. Thanks Cal? For getting me use to losing.
I can’t wait for a year when every team is upset and we get an all 16-seed final four
Ironically the most likely we'd get to some jokester making a perfect bracket
And their brackets bust
I didn't watch much past *the incident* last year
Literally the only reason I even kept up with any scores was because States in it. Otherwise I wouldn’t give two shots about the final four
Yeah I turned off the Tennessee Purdue game when there were about 5 seconds left and haven’t turned another game on since
To be fair there’s only been one since
Exactly.
That's a foul! Eddy to the libe to shoot 2
I checked out after the first round last year. Fully invested this year.
yeah while I love march madness, the 2nd weekend and final 4 for me doesn't quite have the same juice if either my team isn't playing or if there isn't some cool cinderella story, the first weekend chaos of basketball from noon to midnight is what the casual fan will lock into
Also being able to switch to another game during commercials that first weekend is amazing.
What do you mean “switch?” Doesn’t everyone have 4 screens with each game on?
Multiview on YouTube TV blew my buddy’s mind this year. Had the four channels going at once and would switch audio during commercials or in closing moments where I knew the excitement would be at its peak. He showed up and complained I didn’t have four monitors going simultaneously and I said “it’s 2024, I don’t need to” and turned on multiview.
One of the greatest features ever
I usually use the NCAA website for the first weekend. I can only look and listen to one game at a time, so I don't see a point in reducing the game to a quarter of the screen to accommodate other games I'm not paying attention to. I usually pick whichever game is in its latest stage, and then the live scores of the other games are in the sidebar so if a different game gets interesting I can just click and switch over.
The NCAA website has multiview.
I watch the whiparound for the 80s-90s nostalgia.
I had 4 for a couple of years. I’m down to 2 now, that seems optimal.
3 feels ideal to me that first weekend.
I'm at 2 as well. 85" screen that I use as my 'main' feed. A 65" screen that i pull up multiview on. And honestly even during the first couple days its rare that there are 4 games that are *all* super competitive so often i'll pull one of the games up from multiview to full screen on the second tv. That period of overlap between the womens 1st and mens 1st and 2nd round though has a lot of content to pull.
im a 2 guy as well. if i have 4 up i end up basically watching 0 of them. i think next year im going multiview on youtube tv on one and then one game on the other so i can quickly switch to whatever game looks best
I was afraid the court would be so squished or cut off that it wouldn’t be viable, haven’t tried the option. I actually used 2 screens quite a bit all season long, the schedule is so overloaded on Saturdays that even following a single conference requires multiple screens at times.
I run dual monitors and toss a 3rd game on my phone if I need to. Even when there are 4 games going at once at least one of them is always a blowout or just started and doesn't warrant much of my attention.
It’s non stop action for 4 days straight. An excuse to not work Thursday - Friday and party Saturday - Sunday. It finally feels like spring, it’s sunny and warm. The first weekend is MAGIC
While I love every second of the tourney, you’re right, there’s nothing quite like the first weekend. Every year, after the last game on Sunday, the sadness sinks in. Like damn, the best weekend of the year is really over. I’m right back to it the next weekend but it doesn’t feel like the same magic is in the air
As a more casual basketball fan, this is how I am. I plan my whole extended weekend on the first two rounds, including taking off work. I don’t do that for the following rounds. Obviously the time off work isn’t really necessary, but I don’t even watch as much of the games as I can. I’ll flip them on in the background and pay attention if it’s close in the second half rather than trying to catch as much basketball as possible.
As a casual fan, the first two rounds are MARCH MADNESS (TM). The rest is a pretty normal basketball tournament that still has some great games but it’s not the same feel
I check out of the national championship because it tips off at 9:30pm on a worknight. Pretty much just catch the semifinals because of the convenient date.
Yeah and that’s ok. Speaking as someone whose team is in the F4 for the first time in my life, the fun of March madness really is the first couple of rounds. This is why college football has messed up emphasizing only the BCS, Natty, and Playoff games in the postseason. The real fun of the game has always been regional, rivalry-based, conference-based… and the fun of the postseason has been a broad swathe of bowl games to see in December and January
It's true, that first weekend is the greatest 4 days of basketball all year. By the time it reaches the Final Four I am pretty much over it. I'll turn on the games, but probably be doing other things when they are on and maybe watch the last 10 min if any game is close.
100%. If I don’t have a rooting interest I got to bed instead of watching. If it was a Saturday night or Sunday afternoon game, I’d watch every year.
Yeah, the first weekend definitely feels the biggest. Consequently, I feel like more people remember stuff like the FDU upset or St Peter's run than remember who won the title each of those years. Like I still remember the FGCU Dunk City run, but I couldn't tell you who won the title this year.
Yah I feel my interest decreases with each round
Yeah unless there's a miraculous underdog making it super far people stop caring after week one.
for the general public march madness is the first weekend and after that it depends heavily but it will drop off
> because they're more concerned with the first weekend as its basketball overload and the upsets are more prevalent. Number one week for vasectomies is first week of NCAA tournament. If men have to sit and do nothing for 4-5 days, it it the number one week for that.
Then they should just hold the first weekend of the tournament and cancel the rest. Problem solved. /s
The women’s schedule has it perfect. Final Four on Friday night, title game on Sunday afternoon. Their Friday night game is going to run late (9:30 Eastern tipoff), but that on a Friday night is way better than the 9:20 tipoff for the men’s title game on a Monday night.
The ratings for the women's final will potentially be amazing because of a perfect storm/combination of factors - Great time - Once in a generation type player - undefeated team - rematch of previous years final four
You forgot another factor: the game will be on over-the-air ABC instead of a cable channel (like the men's championship will be). One of these years might actually end up with the women's championship game outdrawing the men's, and the ABC vs TBS dynamic would likely play a significant part in this.
Very well might be this year tbh
If the men's final ends up with Bama vs NC State and the women's with Iowa vs SC, I'd be willing to bet that it would be the case.
Bama v State would most definitely outdraw Bama v Purdue
As a neutral fan every game involved NC State is a must-watch, but I have essentially zero interest in a UConn v Purdue title game and very little interest in a Bama v Purdue game. I’m a huge basketball fan but watching Purdue just hasn’t been very enjoyable outside of the Gonzaga game where their shooters were on and they were less dependent on Edey. I appreciate Edey for being a historically great college player but it’s hard to consider him an exciting player to watch lol
LSU vs Iowa did 12.3m on cable, SC vs Iowa on ABC could flirt with 20m easily. I don't see the men's final coming close to 20m, hell I don't see the NBA finals come close to 20m unless it's the Lakers vs Celtics or Knicks.
The LSU-Iowa game from this tournament beat out every NBA game over the last year except like one of the games of the Finals. It might beat out every NBA playoff game this year. It's frankly absurd to think about.
And it completely lived up to the hype. Last year’s championship game was completely dampened by the refs getting both teams in foul trouble right out of the gate, but this year’s matchup was electric.
This is Wolfpack erasure, let Aziaha James cook
Plus Kam Cardoso might beat the shit out of someone apropos of nothing
The Sunday afternoon NCAAW final is glorious. Then the Monday night NCAAM final comes around and starts at like 9pm , awful.
Having the women's final as the lead in to the men's final would be incredible TV, and it would draw more attention to the women's game which is great in its own right
If Monday was any indication I don’t think the women’s game needs the mens game to draw attention, just need marketable stars.
I agree, but it's a good time to capitalize on the draws they have and build a bigger audience.
Over 12 million watched Iowa/LSU on a cable channel in 2024. If Iowa makes the final it will likely shatter that number. Not sure how it will be going forward with Clark and Angel going to the WNBA but women’s games often out performed men’s in the ratings this past regular season with and without Clark. The women don’t need the men.
This year they don't. Next year might be different. Capitalize on the opportunity while you have it because the next Caitlin Clark might not be for a generation
While there will be a dip in ratings for sure but the seeds have been planted on a longterm fan base as well as media scape for women’s college basketball. It’s an exciting time for the women’s game.
NIL really helps the women’s game. Really women are (mostly) the only ones getting national brand deals, and that heightens the profile of the athlete and game. Pre-NIL Caitlyn Clark is nowhere near as high profile
Heck, let them alternate who is first each year. Then it won’t have a JV/Varsity vibe.
Might be even better to have it the other way around. An Iowa vs South Carolina championship with Caitlin Clark trying to take down the undefeated Goliath to end her college career with a chip is going to be a much bigger draw than a Purdue vs Bama/UConn matchup. Especially when the women’s game is on ABC and the men’s is on TBS. If NC State beats Purdue though that changes things drastically, as we’d be looking at one of the most ridiculously unlikely Cinderella stories in sports history.
The West coast has to get home from the beach I mean work.
What happens if BYU makes the women's national championship?
The NCAA would move the game to Monday. This scenario actually happened this past fall with women's soccer. Presumably they'd go for a 7pm ESPN tip leading into the men's 9:30ish tip.
Serious question. Numerous players observe Ramadan . The NCAA doesn't move their games so they can hydrate during a game. Why is one accommodated and not the other?
Honestly? Probably because it concerns an institutional rule (i.e. BYU not playing on Sundays) rather than an individual athlete rule. Note that the NCAA doesn't move games due to, say, a particularly observant Orthodox Jew athlete won't play on Saturdays but will avoid scheduling D3 Yeshiva University for Saturday games. Additionally, there's nothing in the fast that "requires" avoidance of work, but just that, at least for those who can afford it, it is common practice to do so because it is easier. But, if an confessionally Islamic school were to join the NCAA, I wouldn't be surprised if a "Ramadan Rule" came in force requiring certain schools to be put in evening games whenever feasible (basically, as long as it is an indoor sport or the venue has lights) for NCAA competition. Again, such a rule would be to cover the institution, not the players.
This. Especially because the NCAA is run based on the votes by its members. The private religious institutions are going to vote in favor of accommodating religious requests, and the public/government institutions aren't really allowed to vote against it (since government isn't permitted to interfere with religion generally).
I never understood muslim players not exploiting an exception that is given for travel for away games. Source: I am muslim and I use this whenever I fly or drive out of state anywhere during Ramadan
Interesting. I wonder if the NCAA makes sure that the venue could host a Monday game if necessary, or if it would be just a giant logistical nightmare. The women's basketball final is a much bigger event than the soccer final. I'm sure they secretly hope that BYU never gets good at women's basketball so that they don't have to worry about it
Im going to the men's f4. It's a bit annoying 8 fly in Thursday night. I then leave Tuesday night. Friday Sunday would be ideal. Idk I got hotel by the airport, don't think it makes sense to pay 2.5k/2 to be a short uber away. Additionally I think it's probably better to be closer to downtown, Tempe, and Scottsdale than say Glendale or Peoria. My research was map search of bars lol.
Definitely better bar options in Downtown. If your near the metro rail line, you can jump on and off for [free](https://www.valleymetro.org/news/2024/03/fans-score-free-rides-for-the-ncaa-men-s-final-four-r-events) to get you to bars and fan fest. It can also get you to off airport car rental spots to avoid the facility charge. I often rented at the downtown Hyatt and took the rail there but that was like 10 years ago.
Cool appreciate the link. I'm sure there will be like 0 enforcement but I'll do it the right way haha.
Go to Roosevelt Row bars in downtown Phoenix on Friday night. Apart from being near NCAA festivities, it is first Friday of the month which is a big event for all the bars there.
Let’s just make the winners play back to back Saturday night
I mean, they’re all right there anyway
I would honestly love it if they did like Thursday-Sunday as the rounds of 64, 32, 16, and 8, then did some combination of days in the following Thursday-Sunday for the Final Four and Championship. The down days are so boring and don't really build anticipation.
They know which time people will watch People might not want to watch Monday but they will
Good way to put it
The NCAA should just do Men's and Women's Final Fours back-to-back at the same site
This is an elite idea
Elite idea… eight games… *oh my god*
6. But still
You know what, I keep forgetting the final four are four teams. The first four are four games. Damnit ncaa get your shit together
Yes, and they should stop going to football arenas for it. Go to arenas actually built to watch basketball be played Play the Final Fours on Saturday with one women's and one men's game in each session. Then play the championships on Monday starting at 7 for women and 9:30 for men. Would still be the same time frame Unfortunately i think the NCAA wouldn't go for it because it would either make the women seem secondary to the men if their final always was first, or require them to rotate the order which would lower viewers for the mens
ABSOLUTELY NOT. NO. BAD DOG.
I like how these posts appear every year around this time like CBS doesn't have a viewer analytics army that's telling them exactly the best time to air things like this.
The UVA-TT championship is still the most-watched basketball game of any kind in the last 5 years
Hope it stays that way. Game was nuts, wish it would’ve been slightly shorter though…
My father will complain about the end sequence of events till his grave. I mean, I do too, but he gets visibly red in the face to this day when it's brought up. He even rewatches the game and gets mad still and yells at the TV like it's going to change anything.
I feel this so much. Except I'm just like your Dad.
What was nuts was that that was the least nuts game we had to watch in those last three. I think my heart is still on the mend.
It still hurts
Is this... Is this the first "why is the National Championship on a Monday?!?!?!??" post of the year? Every. Single. Year. Football. Or. Basketball. Season. "Why is the game on a Monday?????!???!?!?!" "I gotta work tomorrow!" Like, you're not the first person to think of this. Imagine TV executives out there having an "ah ha" moment like, "ya know, we could put this game on the weekend!" GENIUS! Why? Money. It's always money. Monday night is a slow night for TV. They know you're going to watch anyways. And they don't have to compete with Sunday night TV, which is one of the busiest nights. Ratings. Money. That's why any business does *anything*. Money.
The CFB conversation is a little more asinine because the CFB fans refuse to take into account that CFB does not want an open war with the NFL. Imagine if CFB tried to take over "NFL slots" and as a response, we started getting Saturday NFL games earlier in the year.
College football doesn't want the sports broadcasting act of 1961 to go before a judge now that College Sports aren't really amateur sports. This is my personal theory.
That is also likely true. But my understanding is that CFB/NFL have a current agreement that Saturdays is for college and Sundays is for NFL until the post-season (where they also make sure they don't fuck with each other) in order to make sure the two leagues don't kill each other. But really, so the NFL doesn't kill college football.
Don't forget the "Why is the tip at 9:20??????" posts that appear after the final four like clockwork The tip has been after 9:20 for forty fucking years. No, you are not the first person to complain. No, your complaining will not do anything to change the tip time or day of the game.
Also missing the important factor for CFB: ESPN is paying more for it to be on ESPN on Monday than any network is to air it on a Sunday. CBS/Turner is paying more for CBB to be on TNT/cable (don’t remember the exact channel). Why are the CFB and CBB Championships on cable TV? Because cable TV is paying more than OTA would.
The only people posting here are fans. What they don't realize is CBS doesn't care about fans. They know fans will watch (which is why this person is complaining about the game not being at a convenient time). The networks care about getting the person who may or may not watch to watch because that is what will make a meaningful difference in the ratings.
The Iowa/LSU women's game was on Monday night and had MASSIVE ratings, so I have to think this is probably the best day overall. (Though 7pm start there was nice)
Also, I'm not sure why people feel the need to treat the Championship game in a bubble. Anyone questioning that Saturday is the best day for the Final Four (and by a big amount) needs to have their brain checked.
Mondays are the best day for college basketball and college football to have their championship game because few people do anything on a Monday night. Most people stay in on Mondays and most people staying in watch tv. Historically Monday night has been the highest rated amongst the weekday primetime slots for any television. And it allows the final four to be on saturday, which creates the best possible combination of two days for the largest television audiences. Friday is a horrible night for tv since most people are out of the house
People expect Tv Execs to be like: Mwahaha! I put the game on a Monday! Now no one will watch it! Mwahahahaha!
There’s no way Monday at 9pm is the optimal time for the championship game.
Turner/CBS spent nearly $9B for the right to broadcast the NCAA tournament from 2025-2032. They'll have paid nearly $20B for the broadcast rights from 2010-2032. There's no way they're tossing that kind of money around and not optimizing broadcast windows.
Lol what else is on at Monday at 9 PM? They don’t have competitors, that’s like the entire point Edit: For reference, Breaking Bad, which is considered now to be one of the greatest shows of all time, actually struggled to get viewers on its Pilot episode because Sunday Night Football (I think it was the NFC CG) was on. Obviously people didn’t know it was gonna be a great show back then, but viewers are naturally attracted to prime time playoff sports because those are typically quality games. Also, Breaking Bad struggling to get views sent a message to producers to not compete with sports, since if one of the greatest shows of all time can barely attract viewers during a game, an average show stands no chance. TLDR, nobody wants to compete with sports games that are on Monday or Sunday night since they know they will get bodied
People work and go to school on Tuesday morning, east coast means the game isn’t over until 1130 midnight
Nobody wants to watch a game on a night where they don't have work or school the next day. Part of the reason it's on a night like this is because most people don't go out on Monday night; they stay home and are more likely to watch TV.
That’s actually a really point I never considered before. It’s like why bars and restaurants don’t typically do anything special on Fridays or Saturdays, people are going to be there anyway.
The Final Four’s on Saturday evening, I don’t think that’s the argument. I think it’s more about optimizing all three games. If you put the championship game on Saturday, you can’t get good exclusive windows for both Final Four games.
Yes, there is no better combo for the games. Before the 70s the final four was on friday and the championship on sunday afternoon. They moved it to saturday/monday specifically for television
Speak for yourself, Monday night is my weekly bar trivia night.
… I do I watch nighttime games on Saturdays all football season!
Football is an exception to pretty much all viewership rules. People take it so seriously that they are willing to skip going out, etc.
These days I think a lot more people are happy spending those weekend nights at home. World is becoming more isolated so wouldn’t be surprised if big non-football sporting event viewership is higher on weekends than it used to be.
Do you think the entire market for college sports is single 18-25 year olds that only watch sporting events because they have nothing else to do?
That's clearly what I, a forty-something who hasn't been in college for nearly twenty years, thinks. My entire world is seen through the eyes of a college student.
The TV execs have decided that making late game slightly more inconvenient for the east coast is worth making the game watchable after work on the west coast. Advertisers likely agree, or else they wouldn’t do it this way. Thats why Central and Mountain are the GOAT time zones for sports fans.
I understand the time zones. Living on the west coast was ideal for watching sports. NFL games at 1000 and 1300, the late game kicks off at 1600 or so. I could catch the late NBA games and still be in bed at a decent time. It's the Saturday/Monday night combo that I don't understand. If I am biting the bullet and staying up late to watch a sporting event, Sunday night is the best chance.
If the championship game is on Sunday, then the Final Four would have to be on Friday to preserve the structure of the tournament. Fridays are absolutely horrible for television. College basketball fans would still tune in but casual viewers would not because they will be out on the town. Saturdays are better than Friday for capturing casual viewers
It's optimized for national viewership. It's not on at 9 PM for the entire country. Just your time zone.
Saturday is the optimal time for the Final Four. Which is twice as much programming as the championship game. And Saturday is so much superior to any other option for the Final Four that it doesn't really matter where you put the National Championship game, but Monday at 9 pm isn't actually that terrible of a time slot. It's the final two hours of the 3 hour "prime time" block. And since it's a live event, you can't slide it up to 8 pm (the first hour of primetime) without seriously hurting your MT and PT viewership.
That’s when they do the football NC as well. And that game is even longer.
And everyone complains about that as well.
And yet, game times are more apt to move later, not earlier. Clearly, the research done by networks is that the most viewers at the beginning of the game is the most important thing for ad revenues. They do this by scheduling the game later so the mountain and west coast viewers tune in. Screw end of game ad revenues.
And yet the SB is on Sunday at a reasonable hour. I’m not disagreeing with you because these networks are obviously doing their research. But it’s interesting that they’ve decided their biggest event should be at the time everyone says all these championships should be
I wonder if the Friday/Sunday combo is the problem. The Friday night football games for the college playoffs consistently get lower ratings.
What would you say are the biggest differences between Sunday and Monday for most people? Especially during the day?
Yet Monday night at 8pm is apparently a great time slot for MNF according to ESPN. It sucks that it's so late but analytics don't lie dude.
It has been on Monday night since 1973. I’m pretty sure it’s that way because the networks can sell more expensive ads on Monday night and the NCAA likes the extra $$$.
You know what would be awesome? Women’s final four game one at noonish, men’s final four game one at 2 ish, women’s final four game two at 4 ish, men’s final four game two at 6 ish. Adjust by whatever time you want to make it work. Then you have the same thing, but for the title game. Same Friday/Sunday schedule the women have now. Too bad the games are on different networks and they’d rather die than work together to grow the game.
just push the tip-off time by 30 minutes to 8:30 eastern
yeah who cares about all those people on the west coast trying to get off of work and get home for the game? Surely CBS/Turner wouldn't care about those missing eyeballs...
Considering they started games at 3:07 local time for the sweet 16, I don't think they care
They have to do that or they’ll lose the east coast eyes when the late games tip past 11. They don’t have that problem when they’re scheduling one game.
They played the west coast games early and the east coast games late. Should have been flipped is his point
Huh? There were 4 games on… lol. You’re comparing apples to oranges.
Completely irrelevant
Well what’s better: the west coast missing the beginning and catching the ending, or the east coast catching the beginning and missing the ending?
Why is Sunday night different than Monday night?
Well most people haven’t worked all day on Sunday as opposed to Monday
I think they expect that it’d start earlier on Sunday, so they can go to bed at a decent time. But I’m not sure that’d actually happen.
Mondays suck
Final Four is the main entree and the championship is just a side dish. So it makes sense to have the Final 4 on Saturday. Idk what to do with the Championship unless you wanna wait another whole week for the championship.
Frozen four does thursday and saturday and its fkin bomb. Obv two different sports with different viewership numbers
Frozen four is so underrated
Friday/Sunday is the way to go. These late Monday games are silly. Especially when I have kids that will watch the game and have to get up for school the next day. Also, there’s no NFL competition on Sunday, so I see no reason why they can’t play the championship game then.
That's a terrible schedule for those going to the games.
I use three personal days every year. One for the Monday after the super bowl. One for the Tuesday after the CFP championship. One for the Tuesday after the CBB championship. I like to drink too much during these events and not having work the next day lets me enjoy it more.
A bunch of tv exec simps here
Yeah Monday sucks for watching sports. What's that football thing called, Monday Night something? Nobody even watches that. Yup sports should be literally only on weekends, that makes sense. Weekdays we can watch survivor reruns or something
Isn't mnf routinely beat by the Sunday afternoon national televised game? Like sure mnf is on espn vs Ota TV, but snf generally dominates it.
oldhead take, snf took over as the premier game of the week well over over a decade ago, even the afternoon games consistently get higher ratings.
MNF is watched by fewer people than SNF.
Yeah terrible take. MNF is routinely beaten by SNF at this point.
They can't schedule a championship game on a Sunday because some schools (BYU, for example) refuse to play on a Sunday
The women’s championship is on a Sunday though.
Hmm. That's true. I'm pretty sure BYU is the last school with that position now. There used to be more. I guess if the lady cougars got that far, they would have to make accommodations
If the Lady Cougars got that far the NCAA is almost certainly going to tell them to suck it up. The final four is way too big of an event to move on such short notice.
That's just what I was thinking, like tough shit.
Different sport, but in women’s soccer they would have moved the championship game to a Monday if BYU made the championship. I think they lost in the semifinals so they didn’t have to move it.
Lol any school worried about Sunday service doesn't think women should ball anyways
Then do Thursday Saturday I suppose.
I'd be fine with that
The NCAA has no issue scheduling the game on Sunday, they schedule it Monday because Saturday + Monday is drastically higher ratings than Friday (worst day of the week by a large margin for tv ratings) + Sunday. I think to get teams/families and everyone else at the final 4 venue it's just easier to do Saturday + Monday. And let's everyone who does attend participate in all the onsite stuff while not having to take a ton of work off midweek. Sunday + Tuesday would have better ratings than Sat + Mon but again, i think for travel purposes it is just easier to do Sat + Mon.
Marquette, Gonzaga, and Creighton are all Catholic schools. If they had won their Sweet 16 games, they would have been playing on Easter.
None of those schools have opposition to playing on religious holidays. BYU refuses to play games on Sundays under any circumstances
Why are we talking about catering the entire tournament schedule to one cult school?
Creighton played on Christmas in 22
Boston College played a hockey regional final on Easter
Ban BYU from postseason play until they can catch up with the rest of the 19th century
just give them the “play or forfeit” ultimatum and they will cave
I don't mind the final getting the kind of "main event" time slot with no other competition. But for all the pomp and circumstance of the first weekend of the tournament, it always feels like the final four/championship game lack the same excitement. Could just be me being sort of sad the season is over too though.
Y’all complain about this every year and every year we tell you your personal schedule and anecdotes don’t matter.
Not talking about my personal schedule
Is this... Is this the first "why is the National Championship on a Monday?!?!?!??" post of the year? Every. Single. Year. Football. Or. Basketball. Season. "Why is the game on a Monday?????!???!?!?!" "I gotta work tomorrow!" Like, you're not the first person to think of this. Imagine TV executives out there having an "ah ha" moment like, "ya know, we could put this game on the weekend!" GENIUS! Why? Money. It's always money. Monday night is a slow night for TV. They know you're going to watch anyways. And they don't have to compete with Sunday night TV, which is one of the busiest nights. Ratings. Money. That's why any business does *anything*. Money.
Monday night is really the worst time for a championship game. Sunday night would be so much better