LSU-Iowa March Madness Showdown Was the Most-Watched Women’s College Basketball Game Ever

Hans Pennink/AP

The Elite Eight game between Iowa and LSU was the most-watched women’s college basketball game of all time with more than 12 million viewers, ESPN announced Wednesday morning.

The rematch of last year’s national championship — featuring star players Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark — averaged 12.3 million viewers on Monday night. It drew more eyes than every game in last year’s NBA Finals except for Game 5, which the Denver Nuggets won to clinch the championship. Monday’s game also topped the ratings of Game 5 of the World Series, which the Texas Rangers also won to clinch.

Prior to the game, ESPN’s most-watched women’s basketball game was the 2002 national championship between the University of Connecticut and Oklahoma. That game drew 5.61 viewers, meaning LSU-Iowa more than doubled the network’s previous record.

When putting both the men’s and women’s tournaments together, LSU-Iowa was the second-most-watched game behind only Duke-North Carolina State in the Elite Eight on CBS. That game average 15.1 million viewers.

The game was highly-anticipated thanks to the performances of Reese and Clark in last year’s national championship. Clark finished with a game-high 30 points in the 102-85 loss, while Reese had 15 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Reese also gained notoriety when she taunted Clark at the end of the championship. While many had strong opinions about the viral moment, neither Reese nor Clark thought it was a big deal.

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