VCU’s stunning upset victory over North Carolina in the opening round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship tournament highlighted a regular season that saw a 19% increase in viewership, according to newly released figures. Nationally televised college basketball games averaged 433,000 viewers per game, a significant jump from the 363,000 average of the 2024-25 season.
The surge in interest is being attributed, in part, to the presence of several highly-touted freshmen expected to be top picks in the upcoming NBA Draft, including Duke’s Cameron Boozer. A November 24th game between Duke and Arkansas drew 6.81 million viewers on CBS, boosted by its placement on Thanksgiving Day. Later that same day, a contest between Michigan State and North Carolina on Fox garnered 6.51 million viewers.
CBS saw its viewership climb 17% to an average of 1.59 million per game, while Fox experienced a more substantial 38% increase, reaching 1.22 million – its most-watched college basketball season on record. ESPN’s primary network averaged 1.15 million viewers (+10%), and its supporting networks collectively averaged 467,000 (+22%). Games broadcast on ABC averaged 1.7 million viewers, a 25% increase.
Cameron Boozer, a 6-foot-9 freshman forward for Duke, has been a key driver of that interest. He was named the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year, earning First Team All-ACC honors. Boozer also secured five ACC Player of the Week awards and ten ACC Rookie of the Week awards throughout the season. He posted 25 points in a win over Western Carolina on November 8th, and opened his Duke career with a double-double against Texas on November 4th, scoring 15 points in the second half and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Alongside Boozer, BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson are also expected to be high selections in the NBA Draft, contributing to the heightened attention on collegiate play.
In administrative news, the Atlantic 10 Conference has appointed Dan Leibovitz as its new commissioner, succeeding Bernadette McGlade, who retired after 16 years in the role. McGlade oversaw two major media rights deals during her tenure, resulting in increased revenue for the conference. Leibovitz joins the Atlantic 10 from the Big East Conference, where he served as senior associate commissioner, and previously held a similar position with the Southeastern Conference.
Leibovitz commented on his appointment, stating the Atlantic 10 “stands as one of the premier conferences in college athletics.” Eric F. Spina, president of member school Dayton, described Leibovitz as “a basketball guy through and through” and a “proven innovator.”
VCU and St. Louis both secured victories in the first round of March Madness, with VCU upsetting North Carolina and St. Louis defeating Georgia. VCU will face Illinois in the second round, while St. Louis will take on top-seeded Michigan.
Leave a Reply