Weekend ratings predictions.

First, the results of last week’s predictions.

Sport	Game/Event	Net	Prediction	Final rating
College basketball	Duke/North Carolina	CBS	2.7	2.9
The 2.9 final rating for last Sunday’s battle between rivals Duke and North Carolina was up 163% from last year’s comparable Purdue/Michigan tilt, but down 15% when compared to the North Carolina/Duke game on the comparable weekend last year, which aired on a Saturday night on ESPN. The 2.9 rating was also down 3% from a 3.0 for a March ’07 Duke/North Carolina game, the last time the teams played each other on broadcast.
NBA	Suns/Spurs	ABC	2	1.6
Opposite Duke/North Carolina, NBA ratings sank to a season low on ABC. The 1.6 final rating for the Spurs’ win over the fading Suns was off 24% from a 2.1 for the same matchup in ’08, and marks the lowest rating of the season for an NBA game on ABC.
NASCAR	Kobalt Tools 500	FOX	6.1	5.5
Ratings fell hard for the Kobalt Tools 500. The 5.5 final rating for the fourth race of the NASCAR season was down 14% from last year’s 6.4 rating, the largest drop of the season for any NASCAR race.
NHL	Bruins/Rangers	NBC	0.9	0.8
The 0.8 final rating for last Sunday’s Bruins/Rangers battle was flat compared to last year’s Penguins/Capitals game. Through six telecasts, NBC is averaging a 1.1 rating for NHL coverage, up 10% from a 1.0 through six games in ’08.
PGA Tour	Honda Classic	NBC	1.9	1.5
Another week, another big drop in ratings for the PGA Tour. The 1.5 for the final round of the Honda Classic last Sunday marks a 29% decline from last year’s 2.1. So far this season, CBS and NBC have averaged a 2.0 rating for final round coverage of PGA events, off 29% from a 2.8 through the same period in ’08.

This week’s predictions.

Sport	Game/Event	Date/Time	Net	Prediction
College basketball	Syracuse/Louisville	9 PM Saturday	ESPN	1.9
After seven overtimes,has Syracuse picked up enough of a national following to boost the numbers for Saturday night’s Big East Championship? Last year’s Big East Championship drew a 1.7 U.S. rating; the 2007 game drew a 1.5. The last time Syracuse played in the game, it drew a 2.1 (2006).
College basketball	Florida State/Duke	1 PM Sunday	ESPN	1.7
An underdog Florida State team heads into the ACC Championship game after foiling a Duke/North Carolina rematch. Will America be interested in a David/Goliath battle between the Seminoles and Duke? Last year’s ACC Championship game between UNC and Clemson drew a 1.6 U.S. rating; the last time Duke played in the game, it drew a 1.9.
College basketball	NCAA Tournament Selection Show	6 PM Sunday	CBS	4.1
Ratings have steadily declined for the NCAA Tournament Selection Show. Since drawing a 5.0 in ’04, ratings for the Selection Show have dropped 20% to last year’s 4.0. With some uncertainty as to who the #1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament will be, expect an uptick in ratings for this year’s event.
NBA	Mavericks/Lakers	3:30 PM Sunday	ABC	2.6
On a college basketball dominated weekend, ABC offers a potential first round playoff battle between the Mavericks and Lakers, teams from the #5 and #1 markets in the country respectively. So far this season, each Laker game on ABC has drawn at least a 2.8 rating, with three games drawing ratings higher than 3.0. Look for this game to draw strong, though lower numbers.
PGA Tour	WGC-CA Championship, Final Round	3 PM Sunday	NBC	3.6
Tiger Woods returns to broadcast television for the first time since last year’s U.S. Open. While the buzz for this tournament is virtually nonexistent compared to that of the Accenture Match Play Championship, his first event back, look for coverage of the CA Championship to draw the second-biggest rating of a basketball-dominated weekend.
NHL	Flyers/Rangers	12:30 PM Sunday	NBC	0.8
NBC’s unimaginative NHL schedule treats America to the second Flyers/Rangers tilt on the network this season. The last time the Flyers played the Rangers on NBC, the game drew a season-low 0.7 rating. How will the sequel fare?