March Madness and its aftermath

By Terrell Munford

Though the Madness of March has already come to a close and champions have been crowned does not mean that we cannot take a look back at what made March Madness so special and memorable. College basketball continues to increase the stake of college sports, not just for the players, but for the fans and their undying love for the game.

This year, an average of 18.3 million people watched the National Men’s Championship and just shy of 10 million tuned into the National Women’s Championship. The question, however, is which one lived up to the hype and really gave college sports fans the best watching experience? To figure that out, we must take a look at both games and see which one lived up to its hopes and expectations. 

Let us first take a look at the men’s game, which saw the University of Connecticut Huskies face off against the University of Michigan Wolverines. This was the most watched Men’s Final since 2019, with viewership peaking at 20.4 million in the final 15 minutes of the game. This is huge for the sport because, compared to last year’s championship game, the 2026 final saw a 23% increase in viewership. The entire tournament as a whole averaged 10.9 million viewers, which has gone up 7% from previous years. 

Now that we have dove into the men’s side of things, let us take a look at the Women’s Final and see how the numbers compare. The 2026 Women’s NCAA Basketball National Championship game between the UCLA Bruins and the University of South Carolina Gamecocks averaged 9.9 million viewers on ABC Network and ESPN. The game ranked as the third most-watched women’s title game since 1989, peaking at 10.7 million viewers, which represented a 15% increase over the previous year. This high viewership follows the record-shattering 2024 title game, which drew in 18.9 millions viewers.

It may seem that the Men’s Championship game drew in more viewership than the Women’s did, but both games made history in their respective fields. Both were enjoyable to watch and they gave college sports fans a great competitive matchup between two of the top teams in the country. Both games not only gave the networks who broadcasted the game more revenue, but it opened the door for both respective sides of the game. 

For the women, the sky is the limit, as their game and brand is only going to continue to grow. With a collective community made of great players, coaches and fans that are going to be there to cheer them on each time they step out onto the court, female athletes are able to take center stage to what could be one of the most life-changing moments of their young collegiate careers. 

Just recently, the WNBA draft took place in New York, where hundreds of collegiate players saw their dreams of playing professionally come true. UConn star Azzi Fudd was drafted #1 overall to the Dallas Wings to where she will now reunite with former UConn teammate and Rookie of the Year phenom Paige Bueckers.

The question that comes to mind is, what is next for the game of women’s basketball, and what steps will be taken to get more fans engaged in the morale of women’s basketball to gain traction in the sports spectrum?

Terrell Munford is a junior journalism major