Why does this season sound longer?

[ErickJD08]

So conference play started on the 1st of January like every year but Championship week isn't until the second week of March which mean the tourney starts at the third week.  Does anyone know why it got pushed back a week?  Usually Championship Week is the first week and the first weekend is the second week.

[PGsHeroes32]

I was actually wondering that as well. I've got some things going on the second weekend and thought I was going to miss a good chunk of the first few rounds of the tourney.

Recently I found out the tourney is pushed back a weekend. Curious to know as well.

[Litehouse]

Not that unusual, last year was just the earliest the tourney ever starts, and this year is the latest.  The national championship game this year is on April 8th, in 2008 it was on April 7th, so it's just the cycle of days, and throw in an occasional leap year to skip ahead a date.  In 2002 it was April 1st, so it's creaped back a week over 11 years.

Here's the dates of the national championship games since 2002:
4/8/13
4/2/12
4/4/11
4/5/10
4/6/09
4/7/08
4/2/07
4/3/06
4/4/05
4/5/04
4/7/03
4/1/02

[GGGG]

When looking at this, I found this tidbit on this year's tournament: 

"On May 10, 2012, the NCAA announced that as part of the celebration of the 75th Division I tournament, it would hold all three of its men's basketball championship games in Atlanta. The finals of the Division II and Division III tournaments will be held at Philips Arena on April 7, the day between the Division I semifinals and final."

Pretty cool.

[jsglow]

This is the first year in my memory when the first week of the tourney doesn't match up with MU's Spring Break.

[Bocephys]

This is the first year in my memory when the first week of the tourney doesn't match up with MU's Spring Break.

I remember going down to Cincinnati to watch us lose to TCU in the CUSA conference tourney one year over spring break.  Must have been 2004 or so.  So it's happened before.

[g0lden3agle]

So conference play started on the 1st of January like every year but Championship week isn't until the second week of March which mean the tourney starts at the third week.  Does anyone know why it got pushed back a week?  Usually Championship Week is the first week and the first weekend is the second week.

It all has to do with the vernal equinox.

[Litehouse]

I remember going down to Cincinnati to watch us lose to TCU in the CUSA conference tourney one year over spring break.  Must have been 2004 or so.  So it's happened before.

MU moved it's spring break back a week at some point in there.  In the 90's it was always the week of the conference tournament.

[drewm88]

This is the first year in my memory when the first week of the tourney doesn't match up with MU's Spring Break.

I spent Spring Break 2009 at the BET.

[DCWarriors04]

I remember listening to the MU/Holy Cross game in '03 in between classes. Pretty sure spring break that year was during the CUSA tourney.