What time does the women’s national title game tip off?
The answer is 3pm ET on ABC.
And that has left fans a little upset.
Why are the women playing the biggest game of the season in the middle of the day and not in prime time?
That is the question everyone is asking as South Carolina and UConn are set to face off for the national championship.
The answer is rather a simple one.
In 2023, the game’s broadcast moved to ABC, away from its traditional home at ESPN, which caused the game to start at 3pm ET instead of the usual 8pm ET.
Last season, the national title game between Caitlin Clark and Iowa versus South Carolina drew 18.8 million viewers, setting all sorts of records.
Sports business reporter Andrew Marchand believed the start time would favor the growth of the women’s game.
“I think it’s great the tipoff is at 3:15 for the future of women’s college hoops, as every little kid can watch the game,” Marchand wrote.
“That’s how it grows the most.”
Others didn’t share Marchand’s sentiment.
“The women’s title game should be played in prime time,” NBC’s Nicole Auerbach wrote on X.
“Can someone explain to me why the women’s national championship game is on at 3pm. today and not in prime time?” Jemele Hill asked.
Regardless of start time, the game is set to deliver.
It is the Gamecocks and Huskies’ second time meeting on the sport’s biggest stage in just four years.
Dawn Staley and South Carolina defeated Geno Auriemma and UConn in 2022, making it the first loss for Auriemma in the title game ever.
He was previously undefeated (11-0).
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Since then, Staley won another title with the Gamecocks, bringing her total to four.
The sport’s biggest titans meet once more.
Meanwhile, the men’s title game between the Houston Cougars and Florida Gators will begin at 8:50pm. ET, which has fans wondering why so late?
