In the past, I would argue that start times did not matter. I was one of those that said nit-picking about start times was weak, an excuse, etc. I think the 8:00 p.m. start makes a difference. The Coogs usually have late arriving crowds. The later start time helped with traffic, more students at the game, and for a mid-week game, that atmosphere at the Fertitta Center was second to none. It was loud and the crowd stayed to the very end. I’m now in favor of the 8:00 p.m. start time. I’ve seen first hand that it makes a difference. 3…2…1…counter-argument: 8:00 p.m. is difficult on the families that have school age children on a school night. I get that. But, the later start time made a difference for the UH crowd. Late arriving, wearing red, and LOUD.
I think 7:30 start times would even be something to consider. Just 30 extra minutes would help Coog fans so much in fighting the traffic and getting to the arena. I think 8 pm on a regular basis is a little too late. You have to remember that not everyone lives in close proximity to UH and are commuting from the surrounding suburbs and then have to drive back after the games.
I prefer the 8pm time. It’s nice to be able to take your time and still get to a game early. Honestly, the game would normally end around 10pm but the fouls and other calls extended the game another 20 minutes. If the one hour of sleep makes that much of a difference, let someone else drive and take a nap on the way to the game and on the way back home.
Crowd was kind of disappointing when the game started, even the ESPN crew mentioned it was a “late arriving crowd”. What would it have looked like in the beginning if the game started at 7:00 or 7:30?
The Coogs won’t dictate any start times once Conf gms start. As mentioned controlled by League/TV carriers. Same w tonight being on ESPN that was solely controlled by ESPN to fit their Prime time schedule.
It sucked for me. I was in Philly so game time was 9:00 PM with a 4:00 AM wake up call this morning to catch a flight home. I was so jacked up after the game I’m not sure if I really slept. It was soooo worth it.