After their two meetings last year generated some of the strongest college hoops audiences ever on ESPN, this year’s first battle between Duke and Syracuse was a run-of-the-mill draw.
The Duke/Syracuse college basketball game drew a 1.4 overnight rating on ESPN Saturday, down 52% from the teams’ first meeting last season, a much-hyped game on Super Bowl weekend (2.9). Despite the decline, the Blue Devils’ win earned the top college basketball overnight of the weekend, topping all four games on CBS and FOX.
CBS’ Illinois/Wisconsin game was the top draw on broadcast, with a 1.2 on Sunday afternoon — down 14% from Wisconsin/Michigan last year (1.4) and down a quarter from Ohio State/Wisconsin in 2013 (1.6). The network’s Baylor/Kansas game on Saturday drew a 0.8, down 27% from Pittsburgh/North Carolina last year (1.1) and down 39% from Kentucky/Tennessee two years ago (1.3).
FOX, as usual, earned minuscule numbers for its coverage. Oregon/UCLA drew a 0.5 overnight and St. John’s/Xavier a 0.35.
(Wknd. overnights via ShowBuzz Daily)
