Thanks to the now-departed Duke Blue Devils, CBS saw a solid bump in the ratings for its coverage of the first night of the Sweet Sixteen.
NCAA Tournament coverage averaged a 6.8/12 overnight rating on CBS from 7 PM-12:15 AM Thursday night, up 13% from a 6.0/11 for comparable coverage in ’08.
Late game coverage, featuring Duke’s blowout loss to Villanova, drew a 7.4/13 overnight rating — up 25% from last year’s 5.9/11. The 7.4 overnight is the third highest of the NCAA Tournament so far.
The early window also saw increased ratings. CBS averaged a 6.2/11 for coverage featuring Pittsburgh/Xavier and Connecticut/Purdue, up 3% from comparable coverage a year ago.
Highest overnight ratings for the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
| Date | Time | Featured Game | Net | Rating |
| Sun., 3/22/09 | 5:00 PM | Louisville/Siena | CBS | 8.1 |
| Sat., 3/21/09 | 5:45 PM | North Carolina/LSU | CBS | 7.5 |
| Thu., 3/26/09 | 9:45 PM | Villanova/Duke | CBS | 7.4 |
| Sat., 3/21/09 | 8:15 PM | Duke/Texas | CBS | 6.6 |
| Sun., 3/22/09 | 2:15 PM | Pittsburgh/Oklahoma St. | CBS | 6.5 |
