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Men’s NCAA tournament averaging 10.3 million viewers, its most-watched since 1993

NEW YORK (AP) — The men’s NCAA tournament is averaging 10.3 million viewers through the Elite Eight, according to Nielsen. That is the tournament’s best audience since 1993 and a 9% increase over last year.

UConn’s last-second 73-72 victory over Duke in the East Region final averaged 13.4 million on CBS. The audience peaked at 18.9 million when Braylon Mullins sank a desperation 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left.

Friday’s early window with Duke-St.John’s on CBS and Michigan-Alabama on TBS/truTV averaged 14.2 million, the most-watched Friday regional early window since 1992.

The Final Four and title game will be on TBS, TNT and truTV.

The women’s NCAA tournament on ESPN’s networks and ABC is averaging 789,000 viewers through Saturday’s Sweet 16 games. That is a 1% decrease from last year.

Ratings for Sunday and Monday’s regional finals are expected to be available on Wednesday.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Hawkeyes are set to play Vanderbilt in a November women’s basketball game in Sioux City, Iowa

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Vanderbilt and Iowa, both ranked in the top 10 late last season, will meet in a women's basketball game early next season in northwest Iowa, the schools announced Tuesday. The neutral-site game is set for Nov. 15 at the Tyson Events Center, which is 290 miles from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Vanderbilt is 4-0 all-time against the Hawkeyes. This will be the teams' first meeting since 1997. The Commodores are expected to return national scoring leader Mikayla Blakes. She averaged 27 points per game and was Southeastern Conference player of the year. Vanderbilt was ranked as high as No. 5 and finished No. 10 with a 29-5 record after reaching the NCAA Sweet 16.
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