March Madness: First round of NCAA Tournament averages record 8.3 million viewers
An upset-filled first round of March Madness made for a hot start for TNT Sports and CBS Sports.
Across the four networks – CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV – the Men’s NCAA Tournament averaged 8.3 million viewers, Turner Sports announced. That set a new record for the traditional format, which began in 2011, as eight double-digit seeds won their Round of 64 matchups to advance to the Round of 32.
Upsets were the story of the first two days of the tournament, with No. 14 seed Oakland and No. 13 seed Yale emerging as the biggest stories. In fact, the Golden Grizzlies played in the most-watched game of the Round of 64 when they stunned No. 3 seed Kentucky.
An average of 6.21 million viewers turned to CBS for that matchup, making it the most-watched opening round game since 2019. It also trailed only a 2019 game between Duke vs. North Dakota State for the most-watched opening game under the current format.
Sharpshooter Jack Gohlke became an instant star with his unique stat line against Kentucky, and he was able to cash in right away on his big performance through NIL. He secured an NIL deal with TurboTax afterward while also launching his own line of apparel through the NIL Store. Gohlke drained 10 of 20 three-point attempts as he dropped 32 points off the bench.
Four double-digit seeds pulled off upsets Friday
Of course, Oakland wasn’t the only Cinderella story from the first two days of March Madness. Yale became the second Ivy League team in as many years to advance to the Round of 32, upsetting No. 4 seed Auburn despite multiple opportunities for the Tigers as time expired. Jack Poulakidas put his name on the map, as well, as he turned in 28 points to lead the Bulldogs to the next round.
At almost the exact same time as that game came down to the wire, No. 10 seed Colorado did the same against No. 7 Florida. The two teams went back-and-forth in the final minute before K.J. Simpson nailed the last-second jumper to send the Buffaloes past the Gators 102-100.
Saturday marks the start of the Round of 32 for the Men’s NCAA Tournament as teams look to secure their spots in the Sweet Sixteen. No. 2 seed Arizona was the first team to do so, fighting off a surge from No. 7 seed Dayton to get the 78-68 victory.