Why does the college basketball championship game start so late? Explaining the 2026 tipoff time for UConn vs. Michigan
Here's why the national championship game won't get started until nearly 9 p.m. ET on the east coast.
Why does the college basketball championship game start so late? Explaining the 2026 tipoff time for UConn vs. Michigan originally appeared on The Sporting News .
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Michigan and UConn have legacies on the line Monday night. Can you stay up late enough to see it play out?
Fans have complained about the start time for the national championship for several years, and those complaints started to get through to the NCAA and the networks in 2025 when tip-off was moved up by 30 minutes. Despite the earlier start time, 8:50 p. m.
ET is still a bit later than some expect for the biggest game of the college basketball season. Here's what you need to know about why the championship game starts so late. SPORTING NEWS 140: SN's All-Time All-America Team 15 best NCAA hoops champions of all time Mike DeCourcy's Top 10 Final Four memories Why does the college basketball championship game start so late?