Not all March Madness tournaments live up to the hype. But based on data and fan trends, this year’s version did more than that.
The Wolverines won the Big Ten conference’s first NCAA title in 26 years with a 69-63 triumph against the UConn Huskies Monday night in Indianapolis. Wednesday afternoon, TNT Sports revealed just how big a success the championship game was for those who didn’t make the trip to Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.
For starters, the tournament itself was a social media behemoth. Over four billion concurrent impressions across all platforms drove engagement during the near-month-long extravaganza, with brackets being busted and teams advancing on a near-daily basis.
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As for the title game itself, 18.3 million people watched it despite it not being on linear CBS and instead airing on TNT, truTV and TBS. Between 11-11:15 p.m. ET, though, the broadcast saw staggering heights with 20.4 million viewers during the ultimate climax of the game when the Wolverines closed the door on a Huskies comeback bid.
Wolverines coach Dusty May couldn’t help but reflect on his team’s accomplishment after completing the job following a rough start to March that included a loss in the Big Ten Tournament title game against the Purdue Boilermakers.
“When you bring a group this talented together and they decide from the beginning that they’re going to do it this way and they never waver and they never change, that’s probably the most uncommon thing in athletics now, and it’s a tribute to their character but also those in their circles around them, their coaches, their parents, their mentors,” May told reporters. “They allowed these guys to give themselves up for the group, and it’s never guaranteed, but for these guys to cut down the nets after all they’ve sacrificed is pretty special.”
The tournament had the most-watched national title game in seven years and the second-biggest tournament viewing exposure since data began being tracked in 1994.
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It’s safe to assume the number will continue to rise as the years go on, as more people find ways to access the tournament, no matter which generation they’re part of.
Only time will tell, though.