Tip times are here, and once again the Pac-12 is asking Coug fans to plan their Saturdays around a 7 p.m. or later tip. The conference locked in the TV schedule for men's hoops, which means we now know exactly when to set the DVR and when to start pregaming. Our take: the Pac-12 schedule makers still don't understand that Pullman is in a different time zone than Los Angeles, and they probably never will.
Look, we get it. TV money drives the bus. The networks want the late window for West Coast games so they can feed the East Coast after their own games wrap. But when Wazzu tips at 8 p.m. Pacific, that's 9 p.m. Mountain and 11 p.m. Eastern. For Cougs who left Pullman but stayed loyal, and we know there are a lot of you, that 8 p.m. start means you're either staying up past your bedtime or watching the second half on your phone in bed. If you think AI is coming for your job, you might start slacking off might be relevant reading for those of you planning to "work from home" the next morning after a late night of Cougar hoops. That WSU study found that employees in jobs likely to be disrupted by AI showed higher moral disengagement, which sounds a lot like the mental gymnastics we perform when we tell ourselves "one more possession" at 11:45 p.m.
The schedule also means that for home games, Beasley Coliseum will be rocking at 8 p.m. on a Thursday, which is fine for students but brutal for the locals who have to be at work by 7 a.m. Friday. Remember when Pinnick, Pulalasi, Leaupepetele: Three Cougs, One Postgame Story showed us how postgame interviews can feel like a family reunion? That's harder to pull off when the game ends at 10:30 and the players are doing media at 11. The late tips compress everything: the student section has to decide between studying and staying for the whole game, and the band has to figure out how to get home safely after midnight.
Here's the concrete point: if you're a Coug living in the Eastern time zone, you are going to miss the first half of at least half the conference games this season. That's not a guess, that's math. The Pac-12 loves the late window, and Pullman is stuck in it. So plan accordingly. Stock the fridge. Clear your Wednesday morning. And if your boss asks why you're dragging tomorrow, tell them you were supporting the research mission of Washington State University. Kirby Moore breaks down what he saw from the Cougs after Utah State might give you some legit football talk to use as cover. Go Cougs.