Final Four ratings: Report reveals early projection for Duke-North Carolina thriller
Saturday night’s Duke-North Carolina clash in the Final Four delivered big ratings, but Wisconsin-Kentucky’s status as the cable TV college basketball ratings king appears safe.
On Sunday, Sports Business Journal’s Austin Karp shared that Duke-North Carolina projects 16.3 million viewers based on early numbers. That would be the second-best ever viewership number for a college basketball game on cable TV. Wisconsin’s upset of Kentucky in 2015, however, appears to be safe with the record 22.6 million viewers.
North Carolina-Duke Final Four thriller PROJECTS to be 2nd-best NCAA hoops game ever on cable TV
EARLY figure: 16.3 million viewers (again, EARLY). Should see 10% bump Tuesday (out-of-home audience)
Record still 2015: Wisconsin’s upset of undefeated Kentucky: 22.6 million (1/3) pic.twitter.com/Q7OT7xJk51
— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) April 3, 2022
No. 8-seed North Carolina upset No. 2-seed Duke 81-77, sending off Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski with a loss to the team’s arch-rival. UNC similarly spoiled Coach K’s home final with an upset in Durham at the end of the regular season.
Saturday night’s game was a back-and-forth battle with 12 ties and 18 lead changes. North Carolina faces Kansas in Monday night’s championship game.