Late tipoff times for Duke, UNC have some crying foul
DURHAM & CHAPEL HILL N.C. (WTVD) -- In what may truly be March Madness, both Duke and UNC have Sweet 16 contests that won't begin until nearly 10 p.m. Eastern Time.
The Blue Devils are set to take on the Oregon Ducks at 9:55 p.m. on Thursday in Anaheim, Calif., and the Tar Heels face the Indiana Hoosiers on Friday in Philadelphia, with tipoff set for 9:57 p.m.
This comes after UNC faced Providence in Raleigh at 9:40 p.m. last Saturday.
Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams said the he was upset to learn about Friday's game in a press conference after the game in Raleigh, and questioned why there would be a post-9 p.m. game time for a game played on the East Coast.
"Surprised and very disappointed," Williams said. "I mean, Jiminy Christmas what can you say? 9:45, 9:50 for a start time. Don't we have an East, South, Midwest, West? Don't we have some games on TV that we can show at that time?"
Some Triangle fans of both teams have expressed their concerns about the viewing time, worried about how late the game might run and what that might mean for them the next morning. Others said it's just part of tournament play.
Watch fan reaction here:
Some UNC players, such as Brice Johnson and Justin Jackson, said they feel the late game time has an effect on game play, and think it could have been a factor in the last game against Providence.
The NCAA has not returned requests made by ABC11 for comment.
