Current:Home > FinanceCaitlin Clark, Iowa set conference tournament viewership record after beating Nebraska -ProsperityEdge
Caitlin Clark, Iowa set conference tournament viewership record after beating Nebraska
View
Date:2025-04-17 16:17:22
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! (8)
Related
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- New York-Dublin video link is back up after shutdown for bad behavior
- At least 27 killed in central Gaza airstrike as U.S. envoy visits the region
- How top congressional aides are addressing increased fears they have for safety of lawmakers and their staff
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Red Lobster files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
- Woman pleads guilty to shooting rural Pennsylvania prosecutor, sentenced to several years in prison
- Courteney Cox Shares Matthew Perry Visits Her 6 Months After His Death
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- In Two New Studies, Scientists See Signs of Fundamental Climate Shifts in Antarctica
Ranking
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Investigators return to Long Island home of Gilgo Beach serial killing suspect
- Big Ten outpaced SEC with $880 million in revenue for 2023 fiscal year with most schools getting $60.5 million
- Rep. Elise Stefanik rebukes Biden and praises Trump in address to Israeli parliament
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Jason Momoa Confirms Relationship with Adria Arjona 3 Years After Lisa Bonet Split
- Maine man charged with stealing, crashing 2 police cars held without bail
- Disneyland character performers at Southern California park vote to unionize
Recommendation
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Oilers vs. Canucks: How to watch, live stream and more to know about Game 7
Score 50% Off Banana Republic, 50% Off Old Navy, 50% Off Pottery Barn, 50% Off MAC Cosmetics & More Deals
Maine man charged with stealing, crashing 2 police cars held without bail
Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
Shooting injures 2 at Missouri high school graduation ceremony
2 injured in shooting at Missouri HS graduation, a day after gunfire near separate ceremony
Genesis to pay $2 billion to victims of alleged cryptocurrency fraud