For the first time ever, the NCAA women’s basketball championship pulled in more viewers than the men’s game … with Kamilla Cardoso and South Carolina’s win over Caitlin Clark‘s Iowa Hawkeyes beating out UConn vs. Purdue by 4 million!!
The numbers for Monday night’s men’s contest between the Huskies and Boilermakers were reportedly just released … and while the game did better than UConn’s matchup with San Diego State a year prior, it got blown out of the water by Clark going head-to-head with the undefeated Gamecocks.
The men’s game drew in 14.8 million average viewers … and Sunday’s women’s game earned 18.8 million, shattering the record for a women’s college basketball game.
A lot of folks will chalk it up to the Caitlin Clark effect … but it’s worth noting the women’s tournament featured a ton of stars all over the bracket, resulting in historic ratings throughout the tournament.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley even took a second to thank Clark for bringing more eyeballs to women’s hoops after her squad completed the undefeated season … which she certainly did.
Zach Edey and Purdue’s effort against the defending champs did respectable numbers … but the top game remains Michigan State vs. Indiana State in 1979 — when two dudes named Magic Johnson and Larry Bird faced off against each other.