North Carolina-Duke Final Four TV rating among highest ever in college basketball

Saturday’s Final Four thriller between Duke and North Carolina recorded one of the highest TV ratings ever for a college basketball game, per Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal. Early estimations report that 16.3 million people tuned in to the game, though the final number could be as much as 10% higher.

That makes Saturday’s contest the second most-watched college basketball game in history, behind Wisconsin’s upset of undefeated Kentucky in the 2015 Final Four. It received a higher viewership than national championship games in 2016 and 2018, both of which the Tar Heels played in.

This year’s other Final Four matchup between Kansas and Villanova had an estimate of 10.3 million, and March Madness Live, the NCAA’s streaming service for the event, set records for streaming.

Those who tuned in to the game saw a matchup that lived up to all the hype, as North Carolina won 81-77 in a game that came down to the final seconds. It was the first time the two rivals had ever met in the NCAA Tournament, and carried even more weight considering this is the final season for Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. After spoiling his final home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium last month, the Tar Heels again got the last laugh as they sent the Blue Devils home.

The game saw 18 lead changes, and North Carolina even trailed with 1:01 remaining. However, a pair of free throws from RJ Davis secured the final lead before Caleb Love drilled the dagger 3-point shot with 28 seconds left.

Armando Bacot led the charge for North Carolina, pulling down 21 rebounds in addition to his 11 points before fouling out with 46.7 seconds to play. Love led the Tar Heels in scoring with 27 points, including the dagger three with 24 seconds to play. It only added to his massive NCAA Tournament this year.

For Duke, Paolo Banchero scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the Blue Devils with a double-double. The Blue Devils ran into foul trouble in the first half, but managed to fight through it into the second half to add to the craziness of the game.

Following the win, the Tar Heels now move on to face Kansas in the national championship at 9:20 p.m. ET Monday. Although the TV rating likely won’t be as high as it was when North Carolina played Duke, expect plenty of eyeballs to be tuned in.