The business interests of college basketball as a marketable product will more often than not take precedent over the interests of student athletes, contrary to what the NCAA might say. One painfully obvious example is the increasing frequency of the 9 p.m. tipoff times.
With South Carolina slated to host Tennessee at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, coach Frank Martin shared his displeasure about late scheduling times.
"I'm not a fan of 9 p.m. starts; I don't think it's fair to our players. I don't think it's fair, more importantly, to the traveling team.”
Considering the fact that student athletes usually have to schedule the earliest classes to accommodate their afternoon practice times, the late starts only add to the grind of their overwhelming schedules, especially when they are on the road.
If the NCAA wants to prioritize the academic endeavors of student athletes, slotting in more late starts to accommodate television networks doesn’t really send a consistent message.
Martin addressed the place of television in the game, but stated, "If I get in trouble for saying that, it is what it is. I am just not a fan. And I understand television is a big part of what we do. I get it. I understand. I wish there would be a better solution than nine o'clock starts."
These start times are hard on fans, too, not to mention journalists struggling to meet deadlines.
The NCAA is not going to broadcast fewer games with major networks. That would result in a huge loss of revenue. But why can't they move up the start times of the earliest games and make a more conscientious effort to cut back on the late starts for teams in the Eastern time zone? A shift in that direction would be greatly appreciated by players, media and fans.
Every team has a schedule with some rough patches, but looking for a solution to the late tipoffs would go a long way toward the NCAA’s goal of focusing on the overall wellbeing of their student athletes.