Current:Home > reviewsRekubit Exchange:Caitlin Clark, Iowa set conference tournament viewership record after beating Nebraska -TradeWisdom
Rekubit Exchange:Caitlin Clark, Iowa set conference tournament viewership record after beating Nebraska
SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-08 08:08:08
Fans can't get enough of Caitlin Clark.
Iowa's Big Ten championship win over Nebraska on Rekubit ExchangeSunday was the most-watched conference tournament game on any network in women's college basketball history, CBS Sports reported on Tuesday.
The network said that the game, where the Hawkeyes won 94-89 for their third straight Big Ten title behind 34 points and 12 assists from Clark, had an average of 3.021 million viewers. The audience peaked when the game went into overtime and 4.450 million people tuned in.
The matchup was the most-watched game of the day, which also featured the SEC championship where South Carolina outlasted LSU after a scuffle in the fourth quarter to win their eighth conference title in 10 years.
The Athletic's Richard Deitsch compared the numbers between the women's Big Ten championship and the storied rivalry between Duke and North Carolina's men's basketball teams. The Blue Devils and Tar Heels faced off on Saturday in the regular season finale. North Carolina won at Cameron Indoor, clinching the regular season ACC crown. Deitsch said that game, which was aired on ESPN, had an average of 3.076 million viewers.
WOMEN'S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY's women's tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.
The Big Ten Network also reported that Iowa amassed more than 1 million viewers for both its semifinal and quarterfinal games in the conference tournament. It's the first time the network has seen two women's games pass the 1 million mark. The 1.075 million fans that tuned in for the semifinal against Michigan made the game the most-watched women's sports event and second overall in the network's history.
Clark − with other stars such as LSU's Angel Reese, former South Carolina star Aliyah Boston and Stanford's Cameron Brink − have helped elevate the profile of women's basketball. Last year's Final Four saw record viewership on ESPN with an average of 5.5 million and peak of 6.6 million people watching Iowa versus South Carolina. When Clark broke Pete Maravich's all-time scoring record earlier this month in a game against Ohio State, an average of 3.4 million fans tuned in, making it the most-watched women's college basketball game in FOX's history.
The Hawkeyes clinched a berth in the NCAA tournament with the championship win. They will learn their seeding for the competition on Selection Sunday.
veryGood! (7465)
Related
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Kentucky Senate committee advances bill limiting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
- The Rock slaps Cody Rhodes after Rhodes chooses to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40
- Total solar eclipse will be visible to millions. What to know about safety, festivities.
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Robert De Niro says grandson's overdose death was 'a shock' and 'shouldn’t have happened'
- The Swift-Kelce romance sounds like a movie. But the NFL swears it wasn't scripted
- Tributes pour in as trans advocate Cecilia Gentili dies at 52, a week after her birthday
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- The race for George Santos’ congressional seat could offer clues to how suburbs will vote this year
Ranking
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Have a story about your sibling? Share it with us!
- Maryland judges’ personal information protected under bill passed by Senate after fatal shooting
- Oklahoma grand jury indicts barbecue restaurant owner over deal with state parks agency
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Tributes pour in as trans advocate Cecilia Gentili dies at 52, a week after her birthday
- Have a story about your sibling? Share it with us!
- Conspiracy theories swirl around Taylor Swift. These Republican voters say they don’t care
Recommendation
Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
Mojo Nixon, radio host known for satirical hit 'Elvis is Everywhere,' dies at 66
Watch this endangered teen elephant dancing and singing in the rain at the San Diego Zoo
Indiana jury awards more than $11 million to Michigan man and wife over man’s amputated leg
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
New Mexico legislators seek endowment to bolster autonomous tribal education programs
Kobe Bryant statue to be unveiled before Los Angeles Lakers' game vs. Denver Nuggets
Idaho Republicans oust House majority leader amid dispute over budget process