13 hours Ago By Jeremy Goldstein
The Nielson numbers for Saturday's clash between USC and UConn on FOX painted a rosy picture: 2.33 million viewers tuned in to watch the Trojans narrowly edge the Huskies 72-70 . That figure marks the second-most viewed college basketball game in the network's history.
It also ranks as the most-watched women's college basketball game of the young season. The game featured arguably the two most popular stars in the sport: UConn's Paige Bueckers and USC's JuJu Watkins . The pair entered the season as co-favorites for National Player of the Year.
USC - UConn undoubtedly received a boost from its NFL lead-in - the Baltimore Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC North clash watched by over 15 million. Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe in agreement on JuJu Watkins-Caitlin Clark debate Geno Auriemma response to Sarah Strong missing costly free throws vs USC speaks volumes Thus, ratings on the USC-UConn game peaked in the first quarter (3.
76 million) before tailing off as the contest went on. This is a common practice for any post-NFL contest. For example, the most watched college basketball game this season was Ohio State vs Illinois (men's) on CBS on Thanksgiving.
.. immediately following the NFL.
Last weekend's 2024 PNC Championships featuring Tiger/Charlie Woods recorded 2.92 million viewers on Saturday, a nearly 150% increase from last year and the highest mark since 1995. The round featured a bump for the same reason USC-UConn did - it came directly after the NBC matchup between the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Still, ratings remained high for USC-UConn because of the a) the quality of the star power, and b) just how close the game was. And it was a reflection of TV networks betting on Bueckers and Watkins paying off as women's college basketball looks to build on the surge in viewership which was led by Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and co. last season.
TV networks have ramped up coverage off the back of last season. For instance, ESPN is airing 3,420 games across broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms. The culimination of its coverage will be a February rematch of the 2021 national championship game between UConn and South Carolina on ABC, with Bueckers the star attraction.
FOX is also betting on Watkins and USC in the search for the sport's next superstar, showing games with Iowa, Ohio State, and UCLA in the latter part of the season. While there was a helping hand from the NFL, the 2.3 million viewers for a game in December symbolize that the plan is working as fans still tune in to watch Bueckers and Watkins.
Watkins led the way in the game with 25 points on 9/16 shooting. Bueckers wasn't quite at her best, making just nine of her 22 shots for 22 points. She was proud of her side's performance postgame, especially considering how the Huskies knocked her side out in last year's Elite Eight.
“UConn, they’re the toughest competitors," she admitted. "We knew had to get the W, coming off of last year this was really important for me. I gave it my all, this team gave it her all.
“This is a surreal moment for me," Watkins continued. "[There's] so much history in this building. We were just glad that we got the W and gave it our all.
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