Big Ten Daily (April 10): Viewership Numbers Released for Men's, Women's Championship Games
For the first time ever, this year's women's college basketball national championship outdrew the men's. The viewership totals for both games were released earlier this week.
A total of 18.87 million viewers tuned in to watch South Carolina and Iowa play for the women's national championship on Sunday afternoon. The men's title game on Monday night brought in 14.82 million viewers, per NBC Connecticut.
South Carolina completed a perfect season on Sunday, defeating Iowa 87-75 to finish the year with a 38-0 record. The Gamecocks were led by freshman Tessa Johnson, who scored 19 points off the bench. Kamilla Cardoso also had a huge game, scoring 11 points and collecting 17 rebounds.
Iowa's Caitlin Clark finished her season with a 30-point performance, also grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out five assists. Kate Martin scored 16 for the Hawkeyes.
On the men's side, UConn claimed a second straight national title, becoming the first program to accomplish the feat since Florida won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.
Tristen Newton led the Huskies with 20 points and Stephon Castle added 15 in UConn's 75-60 victory over Purdue. UConn also outrebounded Purdue 35-28.
The Boilermakers got 37 points and 10 rebounds from National Player of the Year Zach Edey. Braden Smith finished the game with 12 points and eight assists.
Although neither Iowa nor Purdue was able to win a national championship, it was a good sign for the Big Ten to get teams into the final game.
No Big Ten women's team has won a national championship since Purdue in 1999. On the men's side, a team from the conference hasn't won the title since Michigan State in 2000.
Way-too-early college basketball rankings
Nowadays, it's almost impossible to project the season ahead in college basketball. It was difficult before the transfer portal and NIL became factors. Now, it's essentially like throwing darts.
Yet several outlets still produce way-too-early rankings for the season ahead. So, why not take a look at some of the predictions. Here's ESPN's way-too-early rankings for the 2024-25 men's college basketball season:
- Duke Blue Devils
- Gonzaga Bulldogs
- Kansas Jayhawks
- UConn Huskies
- Iowa State Cyclones
- Purdue Boilermakers
- Houston Cougars
- Arizona Wildcats
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Baylor Bears
- Marquette Golden Eagles
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Florida Gators
- BYU Cougars
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- St. Mary's Gaels
- Miami Hurricanes
- Auburn Tigers
- UCLA Bruins
- Maryland Terrapins
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights
- Dayton Flyers
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Wisconsin Badgers
- Cincinnati Bearcats
ESPN has also produced a way-too-early top-25 for the 2024-25 women's basketball season. Here's what that poll looks like:
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- Texas Longhorns
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- UConn Huskies
- USC Trojans
- UCLA Bruins
- LSU Tigers
- North Carolina State Wolfpack
- Stanford Cardinal
- Iowa State Cyclones
- Duke Blue Devils
- Oregon State Beavers
- Baylor Bears
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- Louisville Cardinals
- West Virginia Mountaineers
- Kansas State Wildcats
- Florida State Seminoles
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Creighton Bluejays
- Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Utah Utes
- Illinois Fighting Illini
Related stories
- TOM BREW COLUMN: Once again, Zach Edey was phenomenal, scoring 37 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking two shots for the Boilermakers on Monday night. But he didn't get enough help from his supporting cast for Purdue to win a national title. CLICK HERE
- GENE KEADY GOES ALL IN FOR CHAMPIONSHIP: Legendary Purdue coach Gene Keady went all in for the national championship, having a "P" put in his hair for the Boilermakers' showdown with UConn on Monday night. CLICK HERE
- WHAT ZACH EDEY, BRADEN SMITH SAID: Zach Edey scored 37 points and Braden Smith added 12, but it wasn't enough to get a victory over UConn. Here's what the Purdue stars said following their 75-60 loss to the Huskies on Monday night. CLICK HERE