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South Carolina women's basketball: Ratings prove Dawn Staley's Gamecocks are Must-See-TV

On3 imageby: Chris Wellbaum02/08/23ChrisWellbaum
On3 image
Aliyah Boston jokes with Dawn Staley during a game against Auburn (Photo by Katie Dugan)

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South Carolina has not only become a juggernaut on the court but on the tube as well.

The Gamecocks’ win over UConn Sunday drew 1.087 million viewers. That makes it the most-watched women’s basketball game ever on FOX and the most-watched game on any network since 2017. The numbers are more impressive considering FOX is not known for its college basketball coverage, meaning viewers had to seek out the game. 

It continued a clear trend. The Gamecocks are ratings gold. 

Sunday’s game broke the viewership record set almost a year earlier when South Carolina hosted Tennessee. That game averaged 876,000 viewers. It was, at the time, the most-viewed regular season game, now it is the second-most-viewed. Additionally that day, nearly 400,000 viewers watched College GameDay broadcast from Colonial Life arena

Earlier this season in November, South Carolina’s overtime win at Stanford on ABC averaged 727,000 viewers with a peak of 1.2 million viewers. At the time it was the third-largest regular-season audience on any ESPN platform since 2016. 

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Those numbers were spectacular given the game aired at the same time as multiple NFL games. The NFL is such a ratings bulldozer that networks typically don’t schedule anything of value against it. The game also outdrew the top-20 men’s basketball game between Illinois and Virginia that aired simultaneously.

Despite going against the Grammy Awards on CBS, South Carolina’s national championship win over UConn averaged 4.85 million viewers. It was the most-watched college basketball game, men’s or women’s, on ESPN since 2008, and the most-watched championship game since 2004.

Viewership for the game peaked with 5.91 million viewers from 10:00-10:15 PM ET. The game ended at 10:13, so viewership peaked in the fourth quarter. The gamecocks were in control by then, so it’s fair to say viewers tuned in to see the Gamecocks win.

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South Carolina’s semifinal win over Louisville was watched by 2.05 million viewers, making it the most-watched early semifinal since 2016 (the second game draws higher than the first game).

Going back to 2017, South Carolina’s national championship win over Mississippi State drew 3.886 million viewers. That was the most-watched game between 2014 and 2021.

There are many different factors that affect viewership numbers. First and foremost, the matchup matters. UConn and Tennessee are a strong draw as well so it’s only natural that the combined interest creates big numbers. But several of South Carolina’s games have had to overcome significant counterprogramming to achieve strong ratings. 

  • Viewership statistics courtesy of ESPN, FOX, The Athletic, and Sports Media Watch.

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