Current:Home > reviewsCaitlin Clark, Iowa set conference tournament viewership record after beating Nebraska -WealthRoots Academy
Caitlin Clark, Iowa set conference tournament viewership record after beating Nebraska
View
Date:2025-04-23 11:26:35
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! (16)
Related
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Can 'villain' Colorado Buffaloes overcome Caitlin Clark, Iowa (and the refs)?
- Maine governor proposes budget revisions to fund housing and child care before April adjournment
- Judge questions Border Patrol stand that it’s not required to care for children at migrant camps
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Georgia bill aimed at requiring law enforcement to heed immigration requests heads to governor
- Here's why your kids are so obsessed with 'Is it Cake?' on Netflix
- Taulia Tagovailoa looks up to older brother Tua, but QB takes his own distinct NFL draft path
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Closed bridges highlight years of neglect, backlog of repairs awaiting funding
Ranking
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- US-funded Radio Free Asia closes its Hong Kong bureau over safety concerns under new security law
- Sean Diddy Combs Seen for the First Time Since Federal Raids at His Homes
- Messi injury update: Out for NYCFC match. Will Inter Miami star be ready for Monterrey?
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Abercrombie & Fitch’s Clearance Section Is Full of Cute Styles, Plus Almost Everything Else Is On Sale
- Uranium is being mined near the Grand Canyon as prices soar and the US pushes for more nuclear power
- Riley Strain Honored at Funeral Service
Recommendation
As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
Moscow attack fuels concern over global ISIS-K threat growing under the Taliban in Afghanistan
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years on crypto fraud charges
Save 70% on Tan-Luxe Self-Tanning Drops, Get a $158 Anthropologie Dress for $45, and More Weekend Deals
The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
Baltimore bridge collapse: Who will pay for the destroyed bridge, harmed businesses and lost lives?
Mother says she wants justice after teen son is killed during police chase in Mississippi
Joseph Lieberman Sought Middle Ground on Climate Change