Ohio State’s 73-61 win over UConn in Saturday’s Sweet 16 matchup was record-breaking in many ways, with the Buckeyes winning their first game in program history over the Huskies, but it also broke records off the court as well.
The Buckeyes’ win drew 2.4 million viewers on ABC, which is the largest audience to ever take in a women’s Sweet 16 game, and it helped the Sweet 16 average 1.2 million viewers across all eight games, also the most on record. In total, Sweet 16 viewership was up 73 percent from last season.
Viewers likely tuned in expecting to see UConn advance to the program’s 15th consecutive Elite Eight appearance dating back to 2005, but instead saw Ohio State utilizing a stifling defensive performance to send the Huskies home early.
While Ohio State’s Elite Eight loss was not the most-watched game of the round – that honor belong to Iowa’s win over Louisville, which drew 2.5 million viewers – the Buckeyes were still part of history as the Elite Eight averaged 2.2 million viewers across the four games, also the most on record.
