South Carolina-Iowa championship game draws in nearly 19 million viewers, breaking rating records

The national championship game between South Carolina and Iowa broke viewership records after averaging nearly 19 million viewers, ESPN said.

South Carolina Gamecocks defeat college superstar Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes 87-75, finishing the season undefeated. An average of 18.9 million viewers watched the finale, making it the most-watched women’s college basketball game of all time, according to Nielsen data, ESPN announced Tuesday. The epic finale, broadcast on ABC and ESPN, peaked with 24.1 million viewers during the final 15 minutes of the match.

ESPN said viewership also increased significantly from the last two women’s national championship games – up 90% from 2023 and 289% from 2022.

It is the second most-watched non-Olympic women’s sporting event on U.S. television after the 2015 Women’s World Cup final, according to ESPN. It’s also the most watched basketball game – college or professional, men’s or women’s – in five years.

Much of the attention on the game came, in part, because of Clark, who was playing his final college game after a historic career as a Hawkeye. She became the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, surpassing Pete Maravich’s 54-year-old record. Clark should be the first draft pick in next week’s WNBA draft and has already prompted the Las Vegas Aces to change venue for their July 2 game against the Indiana Fever, which is widely expected to accommodate Clark.

The Gamecocks, led by coach Dawn Staley, returned to campus and celebrated Monday in front of fans at Colonial Life Arena. Staley praised Clark after Sunday’s game, calling her “one of the GOATs of our game.”

“We need as many eyes on our sport as Caitlin Clark puts on our sport, like every year,” she said on “CBS Mornings.” “She’s leaving us after this season and needs to be replaced by talented players coming in, talented teams. And I think we’re in a really good position because we’re in high demand. People want to see the talent in our sport. And if we continue like this, these numbers will remain consistent even when Caitlin leaves.