The College Basketball season is nearing the final stretch of the Regular Season as it moves into the spotlight with College Football ending and the Super Bowl marking the nearing end of the NFL Season. College Basketball is about to ramp up with the final stretch of the Regular Season set to determine which teams win each conference.
As the season progresses, more fans become interested in the Sport leading up to the NCAA Tournament and the event that March Madness has become. The chaos of the NCAA Tournament has attracted fans that don't typically watch College Basketball and even don't watch the games until the NCAA Tournament.
This season, the NCAA Tournament will see a new change as the College Basketball National Championship Game will tip off at 8:50 PM Eastern Time which is 30 minutes earlier than the typical time the game tips off.
🚨 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
The change isn't a massive change as the game only moves up 30 minutes than the typical start time for the game. On the other hand, the game starting earlier in the evening will only be better for the growth of the Sport as more fans will be willing to watch the game with it starting before 9 PM on the East Coast.
The NCAA Tournament process will start with selection Sunday which follows the Conference Championship Tournaments on March 16th. The first four games will be played on the 18th and 19th of March. The First Round of the tournament will then start on Thursday March 20th and by the end of the Weekend we'll be down to a Sweet 16. The Sweet 16 and the Elite 8 will be played from March 27th through March 30th. The Final Four and the National Championship Game will be played in San Antonio with the Final Four taking place on April 5th and the National Championship will be played on April 7th.