Iowa vs. LSU Championship Becomes Most Viewed NCAA Women’s Basketball Game

The Hawkeyes and LSU set a record in the NCAA championship game on Sunday.

The AP reports that the game was the most-watched NCAA women's basketball game on record, with a combined 9.9 million viewers on ABC and ESPN2, according to numbers from Nielsen.

It's a huge jump in viewership, up 103% in the audience from last year. Last year, the audience for the women's basketball championship (which was South Carolina vs. UConn) was about 4.85 million. Meanwhile, this last Sunday, when Iowa took on LSU, the audience peaked at 12.6 million.

"The Caitlin Clark Effect"

Obviously Caitlin Clark is beyond incredible and was huge for the Iowa ladies this season. Because of her record-breaking year, she just won the 2023 Wooden Award for national player of the year. Sporting News and the AP both use the phrase "the Caitlin Clark effect". What exactly is it? Pretty much her ability to inspire kids and connect with her fans.

Big Ten Network analyst Meghan McKeown told Sporting News:

I don't think there has been a player in recent memory that has taken on all ages, all genders nationally the way Caitlin Clark has over the course of the last three years. That's the impact she has had, not only her game because she is talented. The triple-doubles, five on the year so far, she's just been unreal from that standpoint. On top of that, she has a personality that's very likable. She's so personal with the fans.

Of course just about all of the state of Iowa was probably tuned in to watch the lady Hawkeyes play.