March Madness has become timeouts halted by basketball

[ad_1]

Tom Izzo on Michigan State basketball making March Madness Elite Eight

Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo reacted to the team’s 73-70 win over Ole Miss in the Sweet 16 round of the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball March Madness tournament.

College basketball games, especially during March Madness, are plagued by excessive timeouts and commercial breaks.The constant interruptions disrupt the flow and excitement of the game, making it less enjoyable for viewers.The overabundance of timeouts and advertising has transformed the game from a display of skill and athleticism into a disjointed and commercialized spectacle.

Anyone who witnessed college basketball in the ’70s and ’80s knows the manic hysteria the sport can achieve. There was nothing like those sweaty gyms in the final minutes, with students screaming and coaches hollering and teams racing up and down the court, every made basket ripping a hole in your eardrums.

No college sport — not football, baseball, swimming, lacrosse, or track and field — ever came close to the closing minutes of a tight hoops contest, the back and forth, the double-teams, the full-court presses, the squeezed shots and muscled rebounds. There was hysterical rhythm to it all, like a hard-bop jazz quartet in furious motion.

But that was a long time ago. Sunday, Michigan State will play Auburn for the right to go the Final Four for NCAA Division I men. It won’t be in a sweaty gym. It will be in the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, with a capacity of 17,000. The Final Four will be staged in the Alamodome in San Antonio, which holds an intimate 63,000.

Mitch Albom: Forget sheep; now we count the ways to get quality sleep

Worst of all, no matter how good the game is, there won’t be any frenetic final minutes.

That’s because March Madness is now dominated by a force more powerful than 100 Bill Waltons, Mike Krzyzewskis or Grant Hills.

The timeout.

It all adds up

It is maddening. Frustrating. It makes you want to rip your ears off. Every time a team…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://www.freep.com/story/sports/columnists/mitch-albom/2025/03/30/mitch-albom-march-madness-timeouts-halted-by-college-basketball/82720518007/

Author :

Publish date : 2025-03-30 04:01:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.