The possibility of a Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers matchup in the Final Four stood out as soon as the NCAA Tournament bracket dropped on Selection Sunday.
No. 1 seed Iowa and No. 3 seed UConn won their way to the national semifinal duel, gifting viewers with a star-studded game. And it lived up to the hype.
College basketball fans from around the world flocked to their TVs (and phones and streaming devices) to see Iowa eke out a 71-69 victory in the final seconds. The game broke numerous viewership records, including the overall women’s basketball record set just four days earlier by Iowa’s Elite Eight game against LSU.
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How many people watched Iowa vs. UConn?
Iowa and UConn’s Final Four matchup averaged 14.2 million viewers Friday night, ESPN announced Saturday. Viewership peaked at 17 million.
What more can you say but 🔥📈 pic.twitter.com/ukfVFLox1g
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) April 6, 2024
The game not only smashed the previous women’s basketball record of 12.3 million viewers, it became the most-viewed basketball game ever on ESPN — and the second-most watched non-football event in ESPN history.
Furthermore, the game beat out every World Series and NBA Finals…
