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NCAA title game earns best preliminary TV rating in 18 years

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, right, celebrates with Justise Winslow after their 68-63 victory over Wisconsin in the NCAA Final Four college basketball tournament championship game Monday, April 6, 2015, in Indianapolis.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, right, celebrates with Justise Winslow after their 68-63 victory over Wisconsin in the NCAA Final Four college basketball tournament championship game Monday, April 6, 2015, in Indianapolis.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

By Associated Press 1 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – Even without an undefeated team, the NCAA title game has earned its highest preliminary television rating in 18 years.

Duke’s 68-63 comeback win over Wisconsin on Monday night on CBS drew a 17.1 overnight rating and 27 share. CBS and Turner Sports said Tuesday that was the best since an 18.0/28 in 1997 when Arizona upset defending champion Kentucky in overtime. It was up 33 percent from the 12.9/21 for Connecticut’s win over the Kentucky last year.

Ratings represent the percentage of U.S. homes with televisions tuned to a program, while shares represent the percentage of TVs in use at the time. Overnights measure the country’s largest markets.