Whether it's extra coffee, an energy drink or a post-work nap, Sooner Nation must prepare for a late night.
The Oklahoma Sooners will host the Texas Longhorns on Wednesday night at Lloyd Noble Center for the first round of the Red River Rivalry, but the game won't even tip off until after 9 p.m., considering college basketball games never start on time. And that's the time in Norman, not eastern time.
This will be OU's latest start time at home since the Sooners tipped against Kansas State at 9:10 p.m. in 1989. Maybe it's a good sign that OU won that game, 86-82.
OU coach Porter Moser had a press conference on Tuesday, the day before the game, and the last question he answered was about the 9 p.m. tip. He was asked when the last time was that he participated in a basketball game that started at 9 o'clock. Although he eventually made a joke, he immediately sighed and shook his head after the question was asked.
"Yeah, I do," Moser quickly responded. "It was Saint Peter and Paul, eighth grade Catholic game at 9 a.m."
Moser is justifiably upset, even if he can't expound on the topic. He insinuated only middle school games should start at such an inconvenient time. But at least at 9 a.m. there's no staying up late with work or school the next morning.
Yes, they do play that late of games at the highest level in the NBA, too. Even the Oklahoma City Thunder down the road from Norman tip after 9 p.m. sometimes. But the Thunder are in the Western Conference, and those games are against teams from California, Utah and Oregon.
Wednesday night's game is between a pair of regional rivals from the Central Time Zone. The late tip doesn't benefit either program or their fanbases, only the TV powers who want to squeeze in more games a day to make an extra dollar.
And this isn't just about winning a game. The argument is for Moser to have his team ready to go anytime and anywhere. And that's true. But there are also things out of Moser's control that this impacts, including recruits being able to be impressed by a rivalry game atmosphere or the most eyes possible being on the Sooners.
Oklahoma, and not just the Sooners but also their Bedlam rival, is experiencing an attendance problem. As good as Jeremiah Fears is, if an Oklahoman is going to spend the money and time to go to a basketball game, it's not to watch Fears and players they've never heard of when they can go down the road to see Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and whatever other superstars are in town to take on the best team in the NBA.
A 9 p.m. tip right in the middle of the week after a long day of work and before a morning of the same thing is only another deterrent of getting people in the seats at Lloyd Noble Center.
The Sooners are desperate for a win to get back on track and it's a rivalry game. They need the best homecourt advantage they can get. But OU was robbed of that, and Sooner Nation can't be blamed this time. More power to the OU faithful that show up no matter the time or weather, but the casual fans who attend one game a year will be on their couch (or in bed) for the Red River Rivalry.