Current:Home > reviewsCaitlin Clark, Iowa set conference tournament viewership record after beating Nebraska -InvestTomorrow
Caitlin Clark, Iowa set conference tournament viewership record after beating Nebraska
View
Date:2025-04-15 16:18:02
Fans can't get enough of Caitlin Clark.
Iowa's Big Ten championship win over Nebraska on Sunday was the most-watched conference tournament game on any network in women's college basketball history, CBS Sports reported on Tuesday.
The network said that the game, where the Hawkeyes won 94-89 for their third straight Big Ten title behind 34 points and 12 assists from Clark, had an average of 3.021 million viewers. The audience peaked when the game went into overtime and 4.450 million people tuned in.
The matchup was the most-watched game of the day, which also featured the SEC championship where South Carolina outlasted LSU after a scuffle in the fourth quarter to win their eighth conference title in 10 years.
The Athletic's Richard Deitsch compared the numbers between the women's Big Ten championship and the storied rivalry between Duke and North Carolina's men's basketball teams. The Blue Devils and Tar Heels faced off on Saturday in the regular season finale. North Carolina won at Cameron Indoor, clinching the regular season ACC crown. Deitsch said that game, which was aired on ESPN, had an average of 3.076 million viewers.
WOMEN'S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY's women's tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.
The Big Ten Network also reported that Iowa amassed more than 1 million viewers for both its semifinal and quarterfinal games in the conference tournament. It's the first time the network has seen two women's games pass the 1 million mark. The 1.075 million fans that tuned in for the semifinal against Michigan made the game the most-watched women's sports event and second overall in the network's history.
Clark − with other stars such as LSU's Angel Reese, former South Carolina star Aliyah Boston and Stanford's Cameron Brink − have helped elevate the profile of women's basketball. Last year's Final Four saw record viewership on ESPN with an average of 5.5 million and peak of 6.6 million people watching Iowa versus South Carolina. When Clark broke Pete Maravich's all-time scoring record earlier this month in a game against Ohio State, an average of 3.4 million fans tuned in, making it the most-watched women's college basketball game in FOX's history.
The Hawkeyes clinched a berth in the NCAA tournament with the championship win. They will learn their seeding for the competition on Selection Sunday.
veryGood! (12421)
Related
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Velocity at what cost? MLB's hardest throwers keep succumbing to Tommy John surgery
- Stock market today: Asian shares trade mixed ahead of a key US jobs report
- Texas wanted armed officers at every school after Uvalde. Many can’t meet that standard
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Judge rules suspect in Ralph Yarl shooting will face trial
- Summer House's Lindsay Hubbard & Carl Radke Call Off Engagement 2.5 Months Before Wedding
- Post Malone Proudly Shows Results of His 55-Pound Weight Loss Journey in New Selfie
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- Trader Joe's recalls black bean tamales, its sixth recall since July
Ranking
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Indiana Republican Party elects longtime activist Anne Hathaway its new chairperson
- Hawaii investigates unsolicited land offers as the state tries to keep Lahaina in local hands
- EU grapples with its African army training dilemma as another coup rocks the continent
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- Man escapes mental hospital in Oregon while fully shackled and drives away
- 'Never seen anything like this': Idalia deluge still wreaking havoc in Southeast. Live updates
- Hyundai and LG will invest an additional $2B into making batteries at Georgia electric vehicle plant
Recommendation
The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
ESPN goes dark for Spectrum cable subscribers amid Disney-Charter Communications dispute
Miley Cyrus reflects on 'controversy' around 'upsetting' Vanity Fair cover
Man escapes mental hospital in Oregon while fully shackled and drives away
Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
Friends Almost Re-Cast This Actress Over Lack of Chemistry With David Schwimmer
As college football and NFL seasons start, restaurants and fast-food chains make tailgate plays
Former basketball coach gets nearly 21-year sentence for producing child sex abuse material