Arkansas fans are going to need an extra cup of coffee again, and maybe even a day off work on Friday for lost sleep.
Tip-off times were announced for Sweet 16 matchups of the NCAA Tournament, and the No. 4 seed Razorbacks were again given one of the latest games on the slate when they play No. 1 Arizona at 8:45 p.m. CT Thursday night in San Jose, California. The game will be on CBS.
Fans being challenged to support Razorbacks during March Madness
The Razorbacks getting sent to the West Coast instead of Oklahoma City or St. Louis just down the road for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament continues to hurt fans the most. Not only has Arkansas been sent across the country after playing its first two rounds in Portland, Oregon, which made for a tough trip for fans, but now it's even become difficult for fans to even watch the Hogs from home thanks to these late tips.
Arkansas' first-round 97-78 win against No. 13 Hawaii was right at the end of the workday on Thursday after not officially starting until 3:27 p.m. CT. That means it started and ended before a lot of college basketball fans were home from work to watch.
Afterward, Arkansas head coach John Calipari took a shot at the scheduling and predicted the Razorbacks would next get an evening tip after playing so well in the afternoon. Sure enough, the Razorbacks played No. 12 High Point at 8:45 p.m. as the very last game of the day on Saturday.
Again, the timing didn't matter as the Razorbacks beat High Point 94-88 to get to the Sweet 16. And Calipari is experienced enough in March Madness that another late tip won't be an issue against Arizona as he knows how to navigate it.
Fans are important part of college basketball, though, and right now, Arkansas fans are being deprived of their team's March Madness run. The Razorbacks have been sent too far away to just hop in the car to watch, and every game has even been a challenge to watch from home without planning around work or school, or staying up after midnight with either work or school the next day.