The Sweet 16 Start Times Are A Complete Joke, Fans Should Be Livid

The Sweet 16 start times are utterly outrageous, and fans shouldn't have to tolerate this nonsense.

The next slate of games gets underway Thursday when Clemson and Arizona tip at 7:09 EST Thursday, and San Diego State and UConn tip at 7:39 EST.

Alabama and UNC will then tip roughly 30 minutes after the conclusion of Clemson/Arizona and Illinois/Iowa State will tip roughly 30 minutes after UConn/SDSU.

That means the second pair of Thursday games - as well as the late window Friday - almost certainly won't get underway until well at 10:00 p.m. EST.

Sweet 16 start times are ridiculous.

These start times are a complete and total joke. Why are Sweet 16 games going to be starting late at night on a weeknight? Why do Alabama and UNC fans have to wait until a couple hours before midnight to watch their respective Sweet 16 games.

I understand the idea is that TV networks don't want to completely lose the western part of the country with earlier starts, but having Sweet 16 games tip after 10:00 p.m. EST is simply unacceptable. Fans should be outraged. I know I am.

Do the TV networks and the people responsible for the tournament just assume nobody has work on Friday morning? Having games late Friday night is at least a little easier to stomach because it's going into the weekend.

There's absolutely no excuse for having late start times on Thursday. Absolutely none.

The Sweet 16 start times are a total joke. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Ideally, you want the games done no later than 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. EST. Start the first two games around 5:00 EST and that would guarantee everyone gets to bed at a reasonable time. Of course, we're talking about massive TV influence that cares little about the actual consumer. Agree with my take? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.