Say what you will about the Final Four teams, but it is clearly the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament that is on a hot streak right now. Turner Sports and CBS Sports’ coverage of the Elite Eight on TBS on Saturday delivered the two most-viewed college basketball games in cable television history as the overtime nailbiter between Wisconsin and Arizona averaged 9.9 million total viewers, while the Cinderella story of Dayton facing Florida pulled an average of 7.2 million to rank first and second respectively, all time. Wisconsin/Arizona averaged a 5.8 household score, based on Nielsen Fast Nationals, with Florida/Dayton averaging a 4.3. Overall, through Saturday, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship is averaging 9.6 million total viewers, the highest viewership for the tournament in 21 years and up 2% over last year.
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