The Big Dance was one for the books, with broken records upsets, and stars galore. Here's everything you need to know from the 2025 women's college basketball tournament.
VIEWERSHIP 👀
1.7M - This year’s Selection Sunday show averaged 1.7M viewers and was the second most-viewed show in the last twenty years, topped only by the 2024 audience of 1.9M viewers.
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1.1M - Viewership for the tournament’s first round was up 43% from 2023. The UConn versus Arkansas State game averaged 1.1M viewers, making it the third most-watched first-round game on record.
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1.7M - The 2025 Sweet 16 round is now the second-most watched on record, with an average of 1.7M viewers tuning into the action.
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4.4M - The matchup between LSU and UCLA reeled in an average of 2.9M viewers and peaked with 4.4M viewers, making it the second most-watched Elite Eight game on record.
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4.6M - Both Final Four games peaked with over 4.6M viewers, producing the third-most watched Final Four since 1995.
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8.5M - This year’s national championship game drew 8.5M viewers, the third-highest ever behind only the two record-setting Caitlin Clark years in 2023 (9.9M) and 2024 (18.9M).
TEAM SUCCESS 🏆
100 - For the first time in tournament history, six teams — South Carolina, Notre Dame, Tennessee, UConn, Texas, and LSU — each put up 100 points or more in the first round.
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62-0 - NYU won the Division III women’s basketball championship, capping off a perfect 62-0 run over the past two seasons. The Violets haven’t lost a game in two years.
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24 - UConn punched their tickets to the Final Four for a record 24th time — more than any other college program (regardless of gender).
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12 - With Geno Auriemma’s 12 National Championship wins, he now has the most NCAA titles of any coach — men’s or women’s. A legacy unmatched.
BUSINESS 💰
$18M - The 2025 SEC Tournament was projected to bring $18M of revenue to the city of Greenville, South Carolina. If the projection held, the tournament would surpass its 2024 total of $16M in revenue and would be the single biggest economic event in the city’s history.
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+132% - ESPN ad sales for women’s March Madness were up +132% YoY, per Sports Business Journal.
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15.7M - UConn led the first two rounds of the women’s tournament in social media performance, generating 15.7 million impressions and 872,000engagements in the first two rounds – outperforming every single men’s team except for Duke.
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+240 - According to ESPN BET, the South Carolina Gamecocks had the best betting odds to win the championship at +240. The UConn Huskies were next at +260.
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1.14B - March Madness was the talk of the town on social media this year, reeling in over 1.14B views across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, and Giphy — marking a 23.74% increase YoY.
