Back in its normal pre-Selection Show timeslot, the Big Ten Tournament final hit a four-year ratings high.
Sunday’s Michigan State-Michigan Big Ten Tournament final delivered a 2.4 rating and 3.94 million viewers on CBS, up 20% in ratings and 24% in viewership from last year, when the tournament took place the week before Championship Week (Michigan-Purdue: 2.0, 3.18M), and up a tick and 10% respectively from 2017 (Michigan-Wisconsin: 2.3, 3.58M).
The Spartans’ win ranks as the highest rated and most-watched Big Ten Tournament game since the 2015 final (Wisconsin-Michigan State: 2.6, 3.97M).
It also ranks as the fifth-most watched college basketball game this season, behind all three Duke-North Carolina games and the Duke-Florida State ACC Tournament final.
Michigan played in four of the top 14 games this season, more than any other team except for Duke (eight). Three of those four Michigan games, it should be noted, were against Michigan State.
On Saturday, the Michigan State-Wisconsin semifinal had a 1.4 and 2.06 million — down 18% in ratings and 23% in viewership from last year (Michigan-MSU: 1.7, 2.67M) and down a tick and 2% respectively from 2017 (Michigan-Minnesota: 1.5, 2.11M).
Later in the day, Michigan-Minnesota had a 1.3 (-7%) and 1.95 million (-13%).
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 3.19]
