There is a reason ESPN hypes up rivalries like Red Sox/Yankees, Michigan/Ohio State and Duke/North Carolina: people tend to tune in.
Wednesday night’s battle between #2 North Carolina and #3 Duke drew a 2.1 cable rating on ESPN, up 24% from the first game between the two teams last year. The rating is especially impressive, considering the game was blacked out in ACC markets.
The 2.1 cable rating is the highest for a regular season college basketball game on ESPN since UNC/Ohio State drew a 2.4 cable rating in November 2006.
