GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – The Latest on the NCAA championship game (all times local):
1:05 p.m.
Saturday’s Final Four on CBS drew 44 percent more viewers than it did last year when it was aired on TBS.
CBS Sports and Turner Sports announced Sunday that the national semifinals of the NCAA Tournament averaged 16.8 million viewers, making it the second-most watched in the last 19 years. Only the 2015 Final Four that featured Wisconsin beating undefeated Kentucky drew more viewers.
CBS benefited Saturday from two close games. Gonzaga beat South Carolina 77-73 in the first game and North Carolina beat Oregon 77-76 in the nightcap. Last year’s national semifinals were both blowouts, with a combined 61-point margin.
Overall viewership for the tournament is up 10 percent from last year, averaging 10.4 million viewers.
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12:19 p.m.
Gonzaga and North Carolina have turned their attention toward Monday’s national championship game.
The teams are holding news conferences and a closed practice at University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday afternoon after both earned tough wins in the national semifinals the night before.
The Zags beat South Carolina 77-73 in the first game. Then the Tar Heels beat Oregon 77-76 in the nightcap.
Gonzaga (37-1) is in the Final Four for the first time, while North Carolina (32-7) is in the Final Four for a record 20th time. That includes last year’s run to the national championship game, where the Tar Heels lost to Villanova on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
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