Notre Dame's Win Over UConn Scores Big Ratings for ESPN
Thursday's Notre Dame and UConn showdown was one of (if not the) most hyped matchups of the college basketball season thus far. The Irish got the best of the Huskies in the contest, led by the standout performance of guard Hannah Hidalgo. One that has fans declaring her the best player in the country.
Many around the country saw Hidalgo live up to the hype, while getting the best of her counterpart Paige Bueckers. This was shown through ratings numbers released by ESPN, as the game was broadcast on the network.
The 79-68 Notre Dame win was seen by the biggest audience of the women's college basketball season so far, averaging 847,000 viewers, and peaking at 915,000 according to Sports Media Watch. Which made it the most viewed pre-January women's game on ESPN since 2011.
MOST-WATCHED WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL GAME THIS SEASON 👏📈#NCAAWBB x @ESPNPR pic.twitter.com/loZBBQUidL
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) December 14, 2024
The big number is just another testament to the massive growth of the women's game, something that has been displayed by the meteoric rise of the WNBA in Caitlin Clark's rookie season and via the attention stars like Bueckers and USC's JuJu Watkins have received.
Of course Hidalgo has now also caught the attention of the nation, while being a pest to UConn in handing Geno Auriemma and company their first loss of the season. Luckily for the Huskies there is a lot of season left to respond and get the program back to its title winning ways. While fans are also fortunate to have plenty more chances to watch Notre Dame.
Given the early season rating, millions across the country will surely be tuned in come March. And both teams will certainly still be playing then.
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!