The Duke-North Carolina rivalry continues to deliver the biggest audiences in college basketball.
Saturday’s Duke-North Carolina men’s college basketball game averaged a 1.3 rating and 2.63 million viewers on ESPN, marking the third-largest audience of the season. The Duke-UNC rivalry accounts for two of the three largest audiences thus far, with their February meeting (1.4, 2.86M) trailing only DePaul-Creighton on FOX Christmas Day (2.99M).
The Blue Devils’ win, which peaked with 3.4 million viewers, declined 31% in ratings and 34% in viewership from the rivals’ second meeting last season — the final home game in the career of former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski (1.95, 3.98M).
It ranked as the day’s top sporting event on Saturday, topping ABC’s Sixers-Bucks NBA game (1.35, 2.24M).
In other action, CBS drew a 1.2 and 2.21 million for Michigan-Indiana on Sunday — the fifth-largest audience of the season. Indiana has played in three of the six most-watched games this season, more than any other team. Ratings soared 49% and viewership 57% from Maryland-Michigan State in the same window last year.
Largest college basketball audiences of 2022-23 season
CBS also drew a 1.1 and 1.84 million for Kentucky-Arkansas on Saturday, up a tick and 11% respectively from Kentucky-Florida a year ago (1.0, 1.66M).
Shifting to the women’s game, Sunday’s South Carolina-Tennessee SEC Tournament final averaged a 0.46 and 866,000 on ESPN — up 39% and 67% respectively from South Carolina-Kentucky last year (0.33, 520K). The game nearly matched the competing Bradley-Drake MVC Tournament final on CBS (0.53, 876K).
The Ohio State-Iowa Big Ten Tournament final averaged a 0.42 and 745,000, up 56% and 51% respectively from last year (Iowa-Indiana: 0.27, 493K). The Louisville-Virginia Tech ACC Tournament final led off ESPN’s tripleheader with a 0.26 (-10%) and 480,000 (+3%).
The ESPN networks averaged 199,000 for women’s college basketball games this season (83 games), up 11% from last year and the most-watched regular season since 2014-15.
(Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 3.7)
