The growing popularity of women’s college basketball continues to reach new heights.
One HBCU team was part of a large viewership during the open round of the NCAA tournament.
UConn’s 86-64 win last Saturday against Jackson State averaged 1.1 million on ABC, the third-most viewed first-round game on record, according to ESPN.
According to ESPN, 1.5 billion total minutes were viewed on television and streaming platforms during the first round. That is the most on record in women’s tournament history and a 70% increase over last year.
The Iowa Hawkeyes’ 91-65 win over Holy Cross on Saturday, which was played after the JSU-UConn game, averaged 3.23 million viewers on ABC, according to Nielsen.
I” do know that I’m really proud that Jackson State University has made national attention,” said Jackson State head coach Tomekia Reed. “I’m really proud of the respect that people have for our program. I’m thankful. I just think collectively we are growing.”