Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes can claim another record — the most-viewed first-round game in women’s NCAA tournament history.
The Hawkeyes’ 91-65 win over Holy Cross on Saturday averaged 3.23 million viewers on ABC, according to Nielsen. The viewership surpassed the 2.50 million who watched last year’s Elite Eight game between Iowa and Louisville, making this the most-viewed women’s tournament game ever — excluding Final Four contests and title games.
According to ESPN, 1.5 billion total minutes were viewed on television and streaming platforms during the first round. That is the most on record in women’s tournament history and a 70% increase over last year.