Ratings for postseason (NCAA Tournament and NIT) men’s college basketball games during the 2008-09 season. Ratings and shares are presented for games on broadcast. For games on cable, U.S. area rating is presented with cable rating in parentheses ().
The 2009 Men’s NCAA Tournament averaged a 5.7/12 rating on CBS, up 2% from a 5.6/12 last year, but still the third-lowest rating ever for the event. The Elite Eight was tied as the lowest rated ever, the National Championship Game was the lowest rated ever, and the Final Four as a whole was the lowest rated since ’03.
Meanwhile, the Men’s NIT averaged a 0.9 U.S. rating (1.1 cable) and 1.3 million viewers on ESPN, up 13% in ratings and 14% in viewership from a 0.8 (1.0 cable) and 1.1 million last year. On ESPN2, NIT coverage averaged a 0.6 (0.7 cable) and 839,000 viewers, up 50% and 35% from a 0.4 (0.5 cable) and 621,000 in ’08.
Ratings for the 2009 Men’s NCAA Tournament.
Source: Sports Business Daily
| Date | Time | Featured Game | Net | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue., 3/17/09 | 7:30 PM | Morehead St./Alabama St. | ESPN | |
| Thu., 3/19/09 | 12:15 PM | LSU/Butler | CBS | |
| 2:37 PM | North Carolina/Radford | CBS | ||
| 7:00 PM | Clemson/Michigan | CBS | ||
| 9:56 PM | Duke/Binghamton | CBS | ||
| Fri., 3/20/09 | 12:10 PM | Oklahoma St./Tennessee | CBS | |
| 2:45 PM | West Virginia/Dayton | CBS | ||
| 7:00 PM | Boston College/USC | CBS | ||
| 9:35 PM | Florida St./Wisconsin | CBS | ||
| Sat., 3/21/09 | 1:00 PM | Villanova/UCLA | CBS | |
| 3:23 PM | Memphis/Maryland | CBS | ||
| 5:39 PM | North Carolina/LSU | CBS | ||
| 8:10 PM | Duke/Texas | CBS | ||
| Sun., 3/22/09 | 12:00 PM | Syracuse/Arizona St. | CBS | |
| 2:18 PM | Pittsburgh/Oklahoma St. | CBS | ||
| 5:02 PM | Louisville/Siena | CBS | ||
| Thu., 3/26/09 | 7:00 PM | Purdue/Connecticut | CBS | |
| 9:45 PM | Villanova/Duke | CBS | ||
| Fri., 3/27/09 | 7:00 PM | Oklahoma/Syracuse | CBS | |
| 9:35 PM | North Carolina/Gonzaga | CBS | ||
| Sat., 3/28/09 | 4:30 PM | Connecticut/Missouri | CBS | |
| 7:01 PM | Villanova/Pittsburgh | CBS | ||
| Sun., 3/29/09 | 2:10 PM | Michigan St./Louisville | CBS | |
| 4:55 PM | North Carolina/Oklahoma | CBS | ||
| Sat., 4/4/09 | 6:00 PM | Michigan St./Connecticut | CBS | |
| 9:07 PM | North Carolina/Villanova | CBS | ||
| Mon., 4/6/09 | 9:15 PM | North Carolina/Michigan St. | CBS |
Ratings for the 2009 NIT.
Source: Sports Business Daily
| Date | Time | Game | Net | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue., 3/17/09 | 7:00 PM | NIT First Round, Davidson/South Carolina | ESPN2 | N/A (0.8) |
| 9:20 PM | NIT First Round, Notre Dame/UAB | ESPN2 | N/A (0.7) | |
| 9:43 PM | NIT First Round, Kentucky/UNLV | ESPN | 1.0 (1.2) | |
| 11:08 PM | NIT First Round, St. Mary’s/Washington State | ESPN2 | N/A (0.4) | |
| Wed., 3/18/09 | 7:00 PM | NIT First Round, Miami/Providence | ESPN2 | N/A (0.6) |
| 9:04 PM | NIT First Round, Baylor/Georgetown | ESPN2 | 0.8 (0.9) | |
| Thu., 3/19/09 | 7:00 PM | NIT Second Round, Notre Dame/New Mexico | ESPN2 | N/A (0.4) |
| Sat., 3/21/09 | 11:00 AM | NIT Second Round, Baylor/Va. Tech | ESPN | N/A (0.9) |
| Mon., 3/23/09 | 7:00 PM | NIT Second Round, Kentucky/Creighton | ESPN | 1.0 (1.2) |
| 11:43 PM | NIT Second Round, St. Mary’s/Davidson | ESPN2 | N/A (0.5) | |
| Tue., 3/24/09 | 7:00 PM | NIT Quarterfinals, Baylor/Auburn | ESPN | N/A (0.8) |
| 9:12 PM | NIT Quarterfinals, Penn St./Florida | ESPN | 0.9 (1.0) | |
| Wed., 3/25/09 | 7:00 PM | NIT Quarterinals, Notre Dame/Kentucky | ESPN2 | 0.9 (1.0) |
| 9:03 PM | NIT Quarterfinals, San Diego St./St. Mary’s | ESPN2 | N/A (0.8) | |
| Tue., 3/31/09 | 7:00 PM | NIT Semifinals, Baylor/San Diego St. | ESPN2 | N/A (0.5) |
| 9:20 PM | NIT Semifinals, Penn St./Notre Dame | ESPN2 | N/A (0.8) | |
| Thu., 4/1/09 | 7:00 PM | NIT Championship, Penn St./Baylor | ESPN | N/A (1.3) |
