2026 NCAA Tournament: UConn-Duke draws 13.4 million viewers as TV ratings continue to increase
Sunday evening, Braylon Mullins sent UConn to an all-time victory over Duke as part of a comeback for the ages in the Elite 8. It also capped the most-watched game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament so far as TV ratings keep rising. An average of 13.
4 million viewers tuned to CBS as UConn rallied from 19 points down to defeat Duke and punch its ticket to the Final Four, CBS and TNT Sports announced . That includes a peak of 18. 9 million viewers as Alex Karaban found Mullins for the game-winning shot with 0.
4 second left in Washington, D. C. and sent UConn to Indianapolis.
It also continued a TV ratings increase for CBS Sports and TNT Sports during the 2026 NCAA Tournament. An average of 10. 3 million people watched through the Elite 8, which is a 9% increase and on track to be the most-watched March Madness since 1993.
Of course, part of that increase can be attributed to Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel metric, which debuted in September 2025. Record-Setting NCAA Tournament Viewership Continues Most-watched NCAA Tournament since 1993 with 10. 3 million viewers @UConnMBB win vs.