The Elite Eight matchup between Iowa and LSU on Monday smashed viewership records as it became the most-viewed women’s college basketball game ever. ESPN reported an average of 12.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the game, with a peak viewership of 16.1 million.
The game where Hawkeyes defeated LSU 94-87, surpassed last year’s record-breaking 9.9 million viewers on ABC and ESPN2 for the NCAA women’s title game between the same two teams.
Women’s college basketball is increasing in popularity, partly driven by star players including Caitlin Clark from Iowa, Aliyah Boston from South Carolina, and Angel Reese from LSU.
The Monday match also got into controversy. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry criticized LSU for its absence during the national anthem before the game.
He called for a policy that would risk a student athlete’s scholarship if they were not present during the anthem.
LSU coach Kim Mulkey stated that they were unaware of the anthem time and that it wasn’t intentional. Iowa was present for the anthem.
Looking ahead, the Final Four matches on Friday will feature South Carolina against NC State at 7 p.m. ET, followed by Iowa versus UConn at 9:30 p.m. ET, both broadcast on ESPN.
The NCAA women’s championship game will take place on Sunday, April 7 at 3 p.m. ET, airing on ABC.