College Basketball TV Ratings: Tracking the most-watched men's teams of the 2025-26 season

With conference play in full swing, the 2025-26 college basketball season has already brought surprises. Some marquee games, notably in the non-conference slate, brought some strong TV ratings in the early part of the men’s college basketball season.

Nielsen has updated its Top 10 most-watched teams of the year, led by some of the storied programs in the sport. The rankings include data from CBS, The CW, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, USA, truTV and TNT – with Michigan State and Arkansas leading the charge.

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On3 is tracking the most-watched men’s college basketball teams, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel data. Here is the full Top 10 through Jan. 3. Note: This story will be updated regularly throughout the 2025-26 season.

1. Michigan State

Through Jan. 3, Michigan State remains the most-watched team in college basketball, according to Nielsen. The Spartans played in multiple high-profile games to start the year, including one of the top games on Thanksgiving.

MSU’s victory over North Carolina averaged 6.499 million viewers on FOX, becoming the network’s most-watched college basketball game on record after an NFL lead-in. The Spartans’ only non-conference loss came to Duke as they turned their attention to Big Ten play, but dropped a road game against a red-hot Nebraska team Jan. 2.

2. Arkansas

Amid a 9-3 record entering the non-conference finale, Arkansas has emerged as one of the top teams in the SEC. The Razorbacks were also part of the jam-packed Thanksgiving slate, falling to Duke in the most-watched game of the season to date with an average of 6.8 million viewers.

Arkansas got two marquee victories on its resume through non-conference play, including a thrilling victory over Louisville, and opened SEC play with a win against Tennessee. Freshman Darius Acuff has led the charge with team-highs in scoring and assists per game as conference play began.

3. Duke

Led once again by a true freshman standout, Duke has been one of the top teams in the country this year. The Blue Devils are also the third-most watched team in college basketball through Jan. 3, according to Nielsen, and have played in four games with at least 1.7 million viewers. The biggest, of course, was a Thanksgiving win over Arkansas in front of 6.8 million viewers.

Cameron Boozer is putting together a huge freshman campaign in Durham, leading the Blue Devils in four major categories – points, rebounds, assists and steals per game. Duke suffered its first loss of the season Dec. 20 against Texas Tech, but rattled off three wins from there, including a Jan. 6 win over Louisville.

4. North Carolina

In an important year for head coach Hubert Davis, North Carolina got off to a strong start with a 12-1 record, only losing to Michigan State on Thanksgiving in the second-most watched game to date. The Tar Heels are also the fourth-most watched college basketball team through Jan. 3, including a victory over Ohio State in front of 1.5 million viewers Dec. 20 on CBS.

Freshman Caleb Wilson is emerging as the focal point of the UNC attack, leading the Tar Heels with 19.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. They started ACC with a win over Florida State before a loss at SMU Jan. 3.

5. Kentucky

Although it was an up-and-down start to the season for Kentucky, the Wildcats remained a top draw through the first two months. UK is the fifth-most watched team in college basketball through Jan. 3 and enter SEC play with plenty of momentum.

Mark Pope’s group won four straight games to close out non-conference action, including victories over Indiana and St. John’s. Those games averaged 1.96 million and 1.05 million viewers, respectively. However, Kentucky started out SEC play 1-1 after a loss to Missouri at Rupp Arena.

6. Kansas

Although star freshman Darryn Peterson has been dealing with injuries, Kansas still started out the 2025-26 season strong. The Jayhawks take a 10-3 record into January, including four straight victories, and their game against Duke averaged 1.87 million viewers on ESPN.

KU is also the sixth-most watched team in college basketball through Jan. 3, according to Nielsen, as one of the top draws heading into the Big 12 portion of the schedule. The Jayhawks dropped their conference opener to UCF, but staged a crazy comeback Jan. 6 to get a 104-100 victory over TCU.

7. Louisville

Louisville started out Year 2 under Pat Kelsey red-hot with eight straight wins. That includes a rivalry win over Kentucky as the Cardinals took a 10-2 mark into conference play, although they dropped their first two ACC games.

UL is also college basketball’s seventh-most watched team this season through Jan. 3, according to Nielsen data. One of the Cardinals’ most-watched games came Dec. 6 when they took down Indiana in front of 1.42 million viewers on CBS.

8. Indiana

Indiana began a new era as Darian DeVries took over this season, and the Hoosiers started out strong. They rattled off seven straight wins and are the eighth-most watched team in college basketball so far this year.

IU notably took down Marquette and Kansas State in non-conference play before going 1-1 in its early Big Ten matchups. Indiana then started the 2026 calendar year with back-to-back wins over Washington and Maryland as league play heated up.

9. UConn

After an early exit in last year’s NCAA Tournament, UConn got off to a fast start in 2025-26. The Huskies are 12-1 and have two Big East victories as they became the ninth-most watched team in the country through Jan. 3.

Wins over BYU, Illinois, Kansas and reigning national champion Florida highlighted UConn’s resume entering January. The Huskies also put together a thrilling comeback Jan. 7, forcing overtime against Providence before coming away with the victory.

10. Oklahoma

The only change to the Top 10 most-watched men’s college basketball teams through Jan. 3, Oklahoma is now at No. 10. The Sooners sit at 11-4 on the year, though they suffered their first SEC loss of the season Jan. 7.

One of OU’s most-watched games of the year came on Nov. 28 when the Sooners took down Marquette, 75-74, in front of 1.1 million viewers on NBC. That figure also includes Peacock.

With conference play fast approaching, the college basketball season is getting into full gear. The road to the Final Four is about to begin as teams look to make runs in their respective conferences.