With both teams unranked, Duke-North Carolina was not the top rivalry game on the final weekend of college basketball’s regular season.
Saturday’s Duke-UNC game averaged a 1.0 rating and 1.87 million viewers on ESPN, marking the lowest rated meeting of the rivals since at least 2007. The previous low was a 1.1 for their first meeting this season.
Ratings fell 29% and viewership 16% from their second meeting last season (1.4, 2.23) and 60% and 55% respectively from the second matchup in 2019, when Zion Williamson was on the roster but did not play due to injury (2.5, 4.16M).
Notably, the Tar Heels’ blowout win was not even the top game of the college basketball weekend. Another rivalry game, Michigan-Michigan State, took top honors with a 1.3 and 2.13 million on Sunday afternoon — flat and up 4% respectively from the same window last year (Ohio State-Michigan State: 1.3, 2.05M).
The Spartans’ upset win delivered the second-largest audience of the season, behind only Michigan-Ohio State last month (2.63M). The Big Ten accounts for six of the eight largest college basketball audiences this season, with Michigan in the top two and Michigan State in three of the top five.
Even with the lower numbers, both of this year’s Duke-UNC games rank among the top ten.
In other weekend action, ESPN averaged a 0.9 and 1.50 million for Illinois-Ohio State on Saturday — up a tick in ratings and 24% in viewership from Louisville-Virginia in the same slot last year (0.8, 1.21M). The Loyola Chicago-Drake Missouri Valley Conference Tournament final had a 0.65 and 1.01 million on CBS Sunday, off 20% and 16% respectively from last year (Valparaiso-Bradley: 0.8, 1.17M).
Largest college basketball audiences this season
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 3.9]
