The ratings are in for Monday night’s epic LSU-Iowa Elite Eight game. Even the most optimistic may have been surprised by the massive audience the highly-anticipated game pulled in.
ESPN PR revealed on Tuesday evening that the LSU-Iowa Elite Eight game averaged a whopping 12.3 million viewers. It became the most-watched women’s college basketball game on record, surpassing the 1983 NCAA Championship game won by the legendary Cheryl Miller.
The National Championship rematch shattered viewership records and provided a seminal moment for the game as its growth continues to rise exponentially.
With everybody watching Monday night, everybody then proceeded to react to the massive number.
Reactions continued on from other notable people.
Another record viewership, and another Caitlin Clark masterpiece to reward the fans who tune in.
You turn up the lights, and she just shines even brighter. Damn near every time. https://t.co/ohF5mMqNsf
— Adam Jacobi (@adam_jacobi) April 2, 2024
One ESPN writer contextualized everything, bringing up that the game scored higher than nearly all of the NBA Finals games.
“If you build it, they will come!!!!” ESPN’s Holly Rowe exclaimed. And she’s right.
Rachel Bachman pointed out this number drew higher than last year’s National Championship Game, which aired on over-the-air ABC. This game aired on cable on Monday night. This is a big, big deal for this situation.
It’s clear that everyone is buzzing over this monster number and enjoying the success of women’s college basketball. It’s been a long time coming, but the women’s game has exploded and is getting serious attention from all over. It’s all deserved, which makes it all the more awesome.
[ESPN PR]
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022