Kansas vs UNC national title game produces record rating

Two of college basketball’s bluebloods took part in the national championship, with the Kansas Jayhawks defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels. With the big-named programs taking center stage, Monday night’s game set a record for one of the most-watched national championships on cable television.

According to the AP, an average of 18.9 million people watched the game on the networks TNT, TBS, and truTV. It’s a 4% increase from last season’s Baylor–Gonzaga matchup, as this year marked just the third time the national championship has been on cable instead of CBS.

After being down by 15 at halftime, Kansas was able to roar back and complete the biggest NCAA Tournament national championship comeback of all time. A solid effort in the second half from the entire squad, mainly Christian Braun and David McCormack, head coach Bill Self set a few pieces of history with the win.

Firstly, he became the first-ever Jayhawks coach to win multiple national championships. Overall, he is the 16th person to accomplish the feat, getting his first during the 2008 tournament. It had been 14 years since Self got his last title and the drought came to an end in New Orleans on Monday night.

As for North Carolina, while they may have fallen short, it was an incredible run for Hubert Davis. The first-year head coach did not even know if they were going to make the dance in the middle of February, not having a March Madness caliber resume. Some big wins down the stretch, including at Cameron Indoor against the Duke Blue Devils, propelled them into a tournament run.

Wins against the Marquette Golden Eagles, Baylor Bears, UCLA Bruins, and Saint Peter’s Peacocks set up for a historic matchup in the Final Four against Duke, getting the biggest win in program history. Capping it all off against Kansas was the ultimate goal but the Tar Heels fans still showed their appreciation once the team arrived in Chapel Hill.

Throughout the entire tournament, there was a 13% increase in viewership after last year’s was still hampered by COVID-19 policies. With fans back in the arenas, more people are watching on their televisions as well, averaging 10.7 million viewers throughout CBS and Turner.