• Loading stock data...
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Women’s Basketball Conference Tourneys Set Attendance, TV Marks

  • All five power conferences saw new highs in eyeballs and ticket sales.
  • Caitlin Clark and Iowa’s Big Ten title win Sunday was CBS’s most-watched women’s basketball game in 25 years.
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Last weekend’s women’s conference tournaments provided some of the most entertaining basketball on television—and fans matched the excitement with soaring attendance and viewership numbers. The Big Ten title game set a new record for a women’s basketball broadcast on CBS, while the SEC, Pac-12, and ACC all produced their most-watched championships ever on ESPN platforms. A breakdown:

The Big Ten tournament sold out for the first time … two weeks before the first tip. In the championship game, Caitlin Clark’s Iowa faced Nebraska in the Cornhuskers’ fourth game in four days and secured a three-peat with an overtime thriller.

  • Attendance: Approximately 109,000 total fans witnessed the sold-out tournament. (A Big Ten rep tells Front Office Sports the conference does not break down attendance by session.)
  • Viewership: The title game averaged more than 3 million viewers on CBS, with 4.45 million tuning in for OT. That made it the most-watched women’s conference tournament game of all time. CBS Sports says the matchup was also the network’s most-watched women’s college basketball game since Tennessee-UConn in 1999, and it was the most-watched basketball game on any network last Sunday. Another record: Iowa’s two games leading up to the championship were the Big Ten Network’s second- and third-most-watched basketball broadcasts ever.

The SEC tournament final between South Carolina and reigning champion LSU included a fight that will keep Gamecocks starting center Kamilla Cardoso out of the first game of the NCAA tournament. Dawn Staley’s team remained undefeated as South Carolina took home its second straight tourney title.

  • Attendance: According to the SEC, 13,163 fans attended the championship game, with 64,905 for the entire tournament in Greenville, S.C. Each of those figures set new all-time records for the SEC women’s basketball tournament.
  • Viewership: An average of 2 million viewers watched the championship game on ESPN, up 126% from last year.

The Pac-12 tournament showcased a disintegrating conference that still had six teams in Monday’s AP Top 25 poll. Decades ago, Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer responded to a letter from Lindsay Gottlieb, telling her to stick with coaching; on Sunday, Gottlieb’s USC beat Stanford in the Pac-12 title game, despite freshman star JuJu Watkins being held to just nine points.

  • Attendance: The Pac-12 saw its second-highest total tournament attendance ever with 29,288 fans, according to the conference. The championship game drew 5,525, the third-highest turnout for a Pac-12 title matchup.
  • Viewership: An average of 1.4 million viewers tuned into the championship game on ESPN, an increase of 462% from last year.

And the ACC tournament ended with Notre Dame beating NC State 55–51 in the championship game. It was the first ACC tournament title as head coach for Niele Ivey, who played for Notre Dame in college and worked more than a decade under Muffet McGraw.

  • Attendance: The ACC announced Friday that it was the first conference ever to reach 1.5 million total attendees for a women’s basketball tournament. The championship game hosted 9,102 fans this year, versus 6,802 last year.
  • Viewership: The championship game averaged 679,000 viewers, a 42% increase from last season. Like those for the SEC and the Pac-12 championships, the game was the most-viewed ACC championship ever for ESPN.

The Big 12 tournament Saturday had its best attendance for an individual session of the women’s tournament since 2013. Texas was set to face Iowa State in the tournament title game Tuesday night.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Mar 24, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Detailed view of the basketball sneakers worn by Los Angeles Clippers guard Terance Mann (14) against the Philadelphia 76ers at Crypto.com Arena.

Skechers Sued Over Allegedly Sketchy Go-Private Deal

The footwear giant agreed to be acquired by 3G Capital for $9.4 billion.

Steve Cohen Taps USTA’s Lew Sherr to Reshape Mets Off Field

The MLB club hires a top executive from the U.S. Tennis Association.

Featured Today

PSG and the City of Paris Can Join European Soccer’s Elite

What a maiden Champions League title would mean for the French club.
May 30, 2025

How the Champions League Anthem Took on a Life of Its Own

The composer didn’t know he wrote a timeless hit three decades ago.
May 25, 2025

How Rolex Paved the Way for Luxury’s Love Affair With Tennis

“It’s almost impossible to think about tennis without thinking about Rolex.”
Mar 23, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Alexandra Eala (PHI) reacts after winning a point against Madison Keys (USA)(not pictured) on day six of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.
May 24, 2025

Alex Eala Is Defying Her Country’s Odds to Make French Open History

The Philippines native has overcome a unique set of financial odds.
Mar 28, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels forward Jaemyn Brakefield (4) rebounds over Michigan State Spartans center Carson Cooper (15) and Mississippi Rebels guard Matthew Murrell (11) in the second half of a South Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at State Farm Arena.

SEC Increases Court Storming Fine to $500K—With Caveat

The SEC used to fine schools $500,000 as a third-time offense.
May 29, 2025

Former Seton Hall Baseball Player Sues Over Sexualized Hazing

The student says the coach knew about the hazing and failed to act.
May 29, 2025

Brett Yormark: Big 12 Puts Private Equity and Naming Rights on Pause

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is shifting his conference’s strategy.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
May 29, 2025

Brian Kelly Pushes for SEC–Big Ten Alliance. Would It Widen the Gap?

A deal, if completed, would further strengthen college football’s two titans.
Mar 16, 2025; Fort Worth, TX, USA; UAB Blazers forward Yaxel Lendeborg (3) drives to the basket as Memphis Tigers forward Nicholas Jourdain (2) defends during the first half at Dickies Arena.
May 28, 2025

Prospects Picking College Over NBA Draft at Record Rate

The 2025 NBA draft has its lowest number of early entrants since 2015.
Tennessee pitcher Brayden Krenzel (34) pitches during a NCAA baseball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on May 11, 2025.
May 27, 2025

SEC Stranglehold on College Baseball Continues

SEC schools will host eight of the 16 regionals set to start this weekend.
May 22, 2025

Can Golf Emulate the College World Series Model?

Carlsbad, Calif., is hosting the event through 2028.