Ohio State helped drive the numbers for the coverage of the Big Ten tournament on CBS.
The Buckeyes’ loss to Purdue on Sunday drew a 2.6/6 overnight rating on CBS, up a whopping 73% from a 1.5 for last year’s game between Wisconsin and Illinois. The 2.6 overnight was the highest of the weekend for a college basketball game on CBS, and even beat the Mavericks/Lakers game on ABC airing at the same time head-to-head.
On Saturday, the Ohio State/Michigan State semifinal drew a 1.6/4 overnight, up 7% from last year’s 1.5 for Wisconsin/Michigan State. Meanwhile, the other semifinal, featuring Purdue/Illinois, drew a 1.4 overnight — down 13% from a 1.6 for last year’s Illinois/Minnesota game.
Despite the increase in ratings, the 2.6 overnight is the third-lowest for the Big Ten Championship Game in the past nine years.
Overnight ratings for the Big Ten Championship Game since ’01.
| Year | Date | Time | Game | Net | Rating |
| 2009 | Sun., 3/15/09 | 3:30 PM | Purdue/Ohio State | CBS | 2.6/6 |
| 2008 | Sun., 3/16/08 | 3:30 PM | Wisconsin/Illinois | CBS | 1.5/- |
| 2007 | Sun., 3/11/07 | 3:30 PM | Ohio State/Wisconsin | CBS | 3.1/7 |
| 2006 | Sun., 3/12/06 | 3:30 PM | Iowa/Ohio State | CBS | 2.8/6 |
| 2005 | Sun., 3/13/05 | 3:30 PM | Wisconsin/Illinois | CBS | 3.4/7 |
| 2004 | Sun., 3/14/04 | 3:30 PM | Wisconsin/Illinois | CBS | 2.3/5 |
| 2003 | Sun., 3/16/03 | 3:30 PM | Illinois/Ohio State | CBS | 2.8/6 |
| 2002 | Sun., 3/10/02 | 3:30 PM | Ohio State/Iowa | CBS | 3.3/7 |
| 2001 | Sun., 3/11/01 | 3:30 PM | Iowa/Indiana | CBS | 3.4/7 |
