The top draw of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge was a former ACC conference game.
Tuesday’s Maryland/North Carolina college basketball game earned a 1.3 final rating and 2.0 million viewers on ESPN, up 44% in ratings and 51% in viewership from Ohio State/Louisville last year (0.3, 1.3M) and up a tick and 11%, respectively, from Michigan/Duke in 2013 (1.2, 1.8M).
The Tar Heels’ win scored the largest audience of this year’s Big Ten-ACC challenge and the second-largest of the season overall — trailing only Kentucky/Duke in the Champions Classic (3.1M).
Other games did not fare as well. Virginia/Ohio State had a 0.7 and 1.0 million earlier in the night, down 30% in ratings and 26% in viewership from Syracuse/Michigan last year (1.0, 1.4M) and down 30% and 38%, respectively, from Indiana/Syracuse in 2013 (1.0, 1.7M).
Indiana/Duke drew a 1.0 and 1.7 million on ESPN Wednesday night, down 44% in ratings and 34% in viewership from Duke/Wisconsin last year (1.8, 2.6M) and down 38% and 23%, respectively, from North Carolina/Michigan State in 2013 (1.6, 2.2M). Louisville/Michigan State had a 0.9 and 1.4 million in the early window, down a tick in ratings (1.0 to 0.9) and 3% in viewership (1.40M to 1.35M) from Iowa/North Carolina last year, but up a tick and 19%, respectively, from Maryland/Ohio State in 2013 (0.8, 1.1M).
Of the ten remaining Big Ten-ACC Challenge games, each of which aired on ESPN2 or ESPNU, Wednesday’s Wisconsin/Syracuse game was the top draw with a 0.4 and 571,000.
