Dick Vitale isn’t done pitching for a later start time for the college basketball season.
Earlier this week while commentating on a game, Vitale suggested a later start time for the hoops season. He believes the current start time does the sport an “injustice.” In his defense, he might be on to something.
Dick Vitale: "I think college basketball does an injustice for itself starting the season so early. I really believe it should start right after Thanksgiving… people are football crazy now." 🏀🏈 pic.twitter.com/lZncDAWF7V
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 16, 2022
Vitale once again made the suggestion on his Twitter account Friday.
Tonight some strong hoops matchups as we have VILLANOVA vs MSU // ILLINOIS- UCLA // BAYLOR- VIRGINIA//my feeling games like this get lost due to the FOOTBALL FEVER . I’ve said that I feel the HOOPS season starts too early. It should begin after Thanksgiving!
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) November 18, 2022
Vitale wrote, “My feeling games like this get lost due to the FOOTBALL FEVER. I’ve said that I feel the HOOPS season starts too early. It should begin after Thanksgiving!”
At times, it’s difficult to disagree with what Vitale has said. Considering the swath of sports going on, college basketball does fall by the wayside. The World Series starts the month. The NBA and NHL are in full swing. The NFL is a monster and important college football games are all over November. Plus, this year, the FIFA World Cup will happen. So Vitale might have a point.
Nonconference scheduling has definitely gotten better. Even with the number of tournaments, it’s nice to see games like Gonzaga-Texas and, soon, Gonzaga-Kentucky, happen on campuses. The big neutral-site love affair is dying down in college football also. So to that point, they deserve plenty more attention. A post-Thanksgiving start, just as college football dies down, might be the sweet spot.
