Caitlin Clark, Iowa vs. South Carolina absolutely demolishes UConn-Purdue in March Madness viewership numbers

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10/04/2024 00:01

The twin March Madness NCAA basketball championship games concluded over the weekend and Monday night, bringing with them plenty of star power, tight moments and compelling basketball. In the women’s March Madness finale on Sunday, Caitlin Clark and Iowa women’s basketball started off hot only to lose to South Carolina basketball.

In the Monday night men’s March Madness finale, Zach Edey and Purdue basketball played the defending champion UConn basketball team close until the Huskies ran away on the scoreboard and secured their sixth men’s NCAA basketball title in team history.

Now that the dust has settled, TV viewership ratings are being released, along with predictions for next year’s title winners. Following the men’s basketball championship game, UConn guard and Most Outstanding Player Triston Newton gave a humble response to his sensational honor.

Clark and Iowa basketball’s matchup with the Gamecocks became a national sensation and a huge draw for celebrities on Sunday, and now the Hawkeyes and Gamecocks have numbers to back up their popularity.

March Madness Ratings for Iowa vs. South Carolina Dwarf the Men’s Game

The Hawkeyes and Gamecocks’ March Madness showdown concluded with an 87-75 win for Clark’s Southeastern Conference foes. South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso won Most Outstanding Player a day before Tristen Newton won the same award for UConn basketball.

Afterward, it was revealed that the game’s ratings were over four million viewers better than the Purdue vs. UConn game.

Last night's UConn-Purdue national championship game averaged 14.8 million viewers.
That means the women's national championship game had more viewers than the men's for the first time ever.
• UConn-Purdue: 14.8 million
• Iowa-South Carolina: 18.9 million
That's incredible. pic.twitter.com/RdNOxwKHmh
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) April 9, 2024

“Men’s game started at 9:20 p.m.; major mistake,” one fan said on X. “Regardless, women’s game was AMAZING,” they added. Another fan shifted the focus of the conversation to the pro league.

“WNBA is going to start making some serious money,” they said.

“Great for the game,” another fan said. “They should play each other,” still another fan stated in the comments section of the post shown above.

Men’s Final Four Surpasses Women’s Ratings

Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) blocks Connecticut Huskies guard Tristen Newton’s (2) shot during the Men’s NCAA national championship game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on April 8, 2024.

The men’s game scored higher March Madness ratings as a whole than the women’s game, however. In total, the 2024 men’s title game had higher ratings than last season as well.

An average audience of 10.8 million people watched the South Carolina vs. NC State and Iowa vs. UConn women’s games on Friday night. On Saturday night, 12.8 million people watched Purdue basketball beat NC State and UConn basketball beat Alabama on average.

The figure of nearly 13 million was a slight improvement over the 2023 March Madness men’s Final Four. According to CBS and Turner Sports, viewership for the entire tournament was up 3% total, with March Madness game windows averaging nearly 10 million viewers.

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