The Michigan State basketball team will open the 2025 NCAA Tournament as a 2-seed in the South Region vs. American East champion Bryant. And the posted start time is welcome by some Spartan fans, but disappointing to others.
Within hours of the brackets being released on Sunday, it was revealed that the Michigan State vs. Bryant matchup will begin at approximately 10 p.m. EST. That is also subject to change based on the completion of the Marquette-New Mexico game played beforehand.
On one hand, fans of the green and white are thrilled to not have to take time off of work to watch the game. Or more likely watch the game while pretending to work. The last two seasons, Michigan State tipped off its first-round game at 12:15 p.m. ET. But on the other hand, some are annoyed that the game will be played so late, likely finishing after midnight.
This is definitely a positive for the bar scene in East Lansing, however.
I have worked in education for the past 17 years, and it’s always tempting to take a sick day on the first Thursday and/or Friday of the NCAA Tournament. Over the years I would say I’ve only taken a day off during the tournament two or three times, and each of those was because of plans to get together with a group of friends to watch games all day long. Schools are struggling with severe shortages in available substitutes in recent years, so I’ve avoided taking time off. But I wouldn’t be upset if one of my kids woke up with a fever in the next few days either.
Availability to the games now is also greatly expanded compared to the past. When only CBS was airing the games, you could only watch one game at a time. Most workplaces also didn’t have a TV available for their employees to watch the game on either. But with streaming services and internet TV all readily available, along with games now being aired on TBS, TNT, and truTV simultaneously, you can watch all the games on your work computer.
As many fans opt for going to work and watching games while on the clock, there is a definite economic impact to this distraction. According to WalletHub, corporate losses exceed $17 billion due to unproductive workers during March Madness. Seventeen BILLION, with a 'B'.
While most of the Michigan State faithful will be able to avoid conflicts with work to watch the first-round game, many will need to adjust their bedtime routine instead. Personally, I greatly prefer the late game as opposed to tipping off in what is considered prime time, like the 7:25 p.m. ET start time for the Marquette-New Mexico contest. When games are on at that time, it conflicts with bedtime for my kids. Now I’ll be able to comfortably get my 4-year-old son to bed while watching one of the earlier games on my phone, and get downstairs to my large HD television to watch the MSU game.
While playing hooky as an adult to watch some games is nice, I still look back on my younger years when I was able to convince my mom that I was “sick” and needed to stay home. Nothing beats staying at home, laying on the couch, and enjoying The Price is Right as a tune-up before the first games tip off. And it’s even better if Plinko is played on the show. But when Bob Barker reminded everyone to spay and neuter their pets, you knew it was almost gametime.