Current:Home > ContactCaitlin Clark, Iowa set conference tournament viewership record after beating Nebraska -Quantum Capital Pro
Caitlin Clark, Iowa set conference tournament viewership record after beating Nebraska
Chainkeen Exchange View
Date:2025-04-09 13:09:31
Fans can't get enough of Caitlin Clark.
Iowa's Big Ten championship win over Nebraska on Sunday 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! (6)
Related
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- Severed hand found in the pocket of man suspected of killing woman in Colorado, police say
- US pledges new sanctions over Houthi attacks will minimize harm to Yemen’s hungry millions
- 2024 Emmy Awards red carpet highlights: Celebrity fashion, quotes and standout moments
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Indigenous faith, reverence for land lead effort to conserve sacred forests in northeastern India
- There's one Eagles star who can save Nick Sirianni's job. Why isn't Jalen Hurts doing it?
- Contrails — the lines behind airplanes — are warming the planet. Could an easy AI solution be on the horizon?
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Why Teslas and other electric vehicles have problems in cold weather — and how EV owners can prevent issues
Ranking
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- The 19 Best Hair Masks to Give Your Dry, Damaged Hair New Life
- Accused of kidnapping hoax, how Denise Huskins, Aaron Quinn survived ‘American Nightmare’
- Congress demands answers after safety regulator misses deadline on potentially lifesaving new rules for vehicle seats
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- When does MLB spring training start? 2024 schedule, report dates for every team
- Aldi eliminates plastic shopping bags in all 2,300 US grocery stores
- Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra’s Daughter Malti Is a Total Lovebug at 2nd Birthday Party
Recommendation
What to watch: O Jolie night
Ali Krieger Details Her “New Chapter” After Year of Change
Federal investigators say Mississippi poultry plant directly responsible for 16-year-old's death
Millions of us eat soy sauce regularly. Is it bad for you?
John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
Who is James Dolan? Knicks, Rangers owner sued for sexual assault, trafficking
'All My Children' actor Alec Musser's cause of death revealed
Ryan Gosling's kids still haven't seen 'Barbie' movie — even though he plays Ken