Caitlin Clark And Company Steal Show And Beat Men's Games In TV Ratings

Did anyone watch any men's college basketball on Sunday?

According to just-released television ratings for the weekend, not too many, compared to the women's game.

Caitlin Clark, the NCAA's all-time scoring leader for men and women, led No. 2 Iowa to a 94-89 win over Nebraska in overtime early Sunday afternoon on CBS in the Big Ten Tournament title game. And it was the most watched basketball game of any kind on the day, with a 1.7 rating. An average of 3.021 million viewers watched it with a peak of 4.45 million during the overtime.

Iowa's Caitlin Clark celebrates winning her team's third straight Big Ten Tournament title Sunday in Minneapolis at the Target Center. (USA Today Sports)

Clark, a fourth-year senior from Des Moines who is expected to be the No. 1 pick of the WNBA Draft next month, scored 30 of her game-high 34 points after halftime. Her 3-pointer with 55 seconds to play in the OT put Iowa ahead to stay at 89-87. She added 12 assists and seven rebounds.

Iowa-Nebraska Most Watched Women's College Game Since 1999

The Iowa-Nebraska game was the most watched women's college basketball game on CBS in 25 years, as Tennessee and Connecticut drew 3.879 million viewers on Jan. 10, 1999. 

The Caitlin Clark show Sunday also nearly beat a classic blueblood men's pairing of Duke and North Carolina on Saturday. North Carolina's 63-59 home win on ESPN drew 3.08 million viewers. The women's game - built by white and black women contrary to a USA Today column - continues to grow like never before.

The Michigan State-Indiana men's game on CBS drew just a 1.2 rating with 2.06 million viewers Sunday.

Next was the fight-marred women's SEC Tournament championship game on ESPN in which No. 1 South Carolina beat No. 8 LSU, 77-71. That game matched the last two national champions (LSU in 2023, South Carolina in 2022) and two of the most successful coaches in the game. LSU's Kim Mulkey has won four national championships as a head coach, while South Carolina's Dawn Staley has won two. 

South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso hit a buzzer beating 3-pointer to beat Tennessee Saturday and set up the SEC Tournament title game against LSU on Sunday. (Getty Images)

The game drew a 1.1 rating and 1.96 million viewers. It beat a host of men's games, such as Wisconsin and Purdue on FOX (0.7 rating, 1.14 million viewers), Illinois and the other Iowa on FS1 (0.40 rating, 771,000 viewers) and Ohio State and Rutgers on the Big Ten Network (0.17, 317,000 viewers). 

"I've never been a part of a game like that," LSU star forward Angel Reese said. "But of course, you know, two heavy hitters."

They could meet again in the Final Four in Cleveland from April 5-7 or either could have a rematch with Iowa there.  

"Let's start playing tomorrow," Mulkey said. "I love where we are. We're not going to see South Carolina again unless we meet up in the Final Four."

Men's Game 'Can't Touch' Women's Game

And many cannot wait for a rematch.

"I want to see LSU-South Carolina again. That was a show," Michael Wilbon said on ESPN's PTI (Pardon The Interruption) show on Monday.

"Men's college basketball can't touch that now," Wilbon said. "Can't touch it."