By the Numbers: Tournament Edition

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. 

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.

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.

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.

4.6M - Both Final Four games peaked with over 4.6M viewers, producing the third-most watched Final Four since 1995.

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.

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.

24 - UConn punched their tickets to the Final Four for a record 24th time — more than any other college program (regardless of gender).

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.

+132% - ESPN ad sales for women’s March Madness​ were up +132% YoY, per Sports Business Journal.

15.7M - UConn led the first two rounds of the women’s tournament in social media performance, generating 15.7 million impressions and 872,000 engagements in the first two rounds – outperforming every single men’s team except for Duke.

+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.

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.