Good Morning, Illini Nation: Sweet 16 tip times set

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Welcome to "Good Morning, Illini Nation," your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He'll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood's team and college basketball at large:

Do the folks at CBS/Turner own a globe?

Tip times for the Sweet 16 were released late Sunday night. Illinois and Iowa State will get going on Thursday night in Boston sometime after 9 p.m. (so after 10 p.m. on the east coast) on TBS

UConn and San Diego State will have the first game of the day at TD Garden with a 6:39 p.m. The game will take, at minimum, two hours and probably more because media timeouts are longer in the tournament (seemingly endless). Then there's at least a 25-minute gap between games.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Illinois-Iowa game actually ends on Friday morning on the east coast. But it is what it is. And folks watching from home get the Kevin Harlan-Dan Bonner-Stan Van Gundy crew.

But what doesn't jibe is the Los Angeles Sweet 16 games starting before the Boston games on Thursday. Arizona-Clemson is the first game of the day and will tip at 4:09 p.m. local time in California. Make it make sense.

SWEET 16 TIP TIMES pic.twitter.com/ndefQV9cPL

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 25, 2024