Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes continue to deliver ratings gold.

ESPN announced Tuesday that Iowa’s Elite 8 win over LSU drew 12.3 million viewers. The Iowa-LSU game broke two significant viewership records: the most-watched women’s college basketball game on record and the most-watched college basketball (men’s or women’s) on ESPN platforms.

Clark’s final NCAA Tournament has been a ratings bonanza. Will Iowa-LSU numbers be topped in Final Four?

When Iowa’s win over Holy Cross drew 3.2 million viewers, the most-viewed First Round game on record, it was easy to see that the parade of ratings records was just getting started.

Even though it was before the Final Four, Iowa-LSU figured to be a ratings smash. The rematch has been highly anticipated since LSU’s win over Iowa in last year’s national championship. The fact that Clark and Angel Reese were both back in 2023-24 added to the national intrigue.

It’s not hard to see why Monday’s game was a ratings smash. Both teams lit up the scoreboard with a 31-26 1st quarter. Scoring slowed down in the 2nd quarter, but the intensity remained with a 45-45 score at the half.

From a TV ratings perspective, Iowa’s next game will show how many casual basketball fans Clark has turned into women’s college basketball fans.

Iowa faces UConn on Friday night for a spot in the national championship game. For women’s college basketball fans, Clark vs. Paige Bueckers and Clark/Iowa in the Final Four are extremely strong draws.

There’s also another fun storyline: UConn was Clark’s dream school and the Huskies never recruited her.

Friday’s Iowa-UConn game (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) should make for must-see basketball. We’ll see if yet another ratings record falls.

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