Iowa's 94-87 triumph over LSU in the Elite Eight on Monday set a new benchmark for women's college basketball viewership, with 12.3 million viewers tuning in, according to ESPN.
This figure exceeded the previous record of 9.9 million viewers for last season's NCAA championship game between the same teams. ESPN also noted that Monday's game had the highest viewership for any college basketball game on its platforms since 2012 and was the second-highest for any basketball game, college or NBA, in that period.
FanDuel reported to CNBC that the Iowa-LSU game was its largest betting event for women's sports ever.
ESPN stated that the women's Elite Eight games averaged 6.2 million viewers, a 184% increase from the previous year, and included four of the top five most-watched games in that round on record.
The top-seeded Hawkeyes were once again led by Caitlin Clark, who scored 41 points, 12 assists, and 7 rebounds, setting a new NCAA all-time scoring record. This performance helped Iowa avenge last year's title game loss to LSU.
In defeat, LSU's Angel Reese contributed 17 points and 20 rebounds. Reese mentioned postgame that she has faced threats over the past year, emphasizing her resilience and determination.
Iowa will face No. 3 seed UConn in the Final Four, coached by Basketball Hall of Famer Geno Auriemma, on Friday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.
The winner will play either No. 1 seed South Carolina or No. 3 seed NC State on Sunday for the national championship.
Clark, who surpassed Pete Maravich in March to become the NCAA's all-time leading scorer, announced in February her intention to enter the 2024 WNBA Draft, where she is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever.
After the Elite Eight win, Clark expressed pride in her team's resilience, stating, "A lot of people counted us out at the beginning of the year with the people we lost. And all we did was work really hard. To get back here is really hard.
This regional was loaded with so much talent. The job’s not finished."