Caitlin Clark’s Historic Feat Delivers Higher TV Ratings Than NBA Opening Night Games

Iowa’s win over Ohio State drew a massive audience.

On the court, Iowa guard Caitlin Clark has set records in spades. The Hawkeyes superstar reached major college basketball’s final scoring frontier Sunday, passing legendary LSU guard Pete Maravich to set a new all-gender mark of 3,685 points.

It is her gravitational pull off the court, however, that has allowed Clark to reach a rare celebrity status in college athletics.

Accordingly, No. 6 Iowa’s 93-83 victory over No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday afternoon on Fox drew a remarkable television audience of 3.4 million viewers.

That number represents a higher figure than the viewership for TNT’s NBA opening night doubleheader on Oct. 24, as well as San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama’s hotly anticipated NBA debut against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 25.

Impressive 3.4 million viewers on Fox for Iowa-Ohio State on Sunday afternoon. Beyond women's college hoops superlatives, Caitlin Clark's record-setting game was:

???? Higher than both TNT NBA Opening Night games this season
???? Higher than Victor Wembanyama's NBA debut on ESPN pic.twitter.com/gKNlEzxqjA

— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) March 5, 2024

Clark’s record-breaking 35-point outing, which attracted dignitaries such as former WNBA All-Star forward Maya Moore, Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan and musician Travis Scott, vaulted the Hawkeyes past the Buckeyes in the latest AP poll. Iowa is now ranked No. 3 in the nation, and Ohio State is No. 4.

More importantly, it brought continued attention to women’s college basketball–a game that has boomed in recent years due to the efforts of Clark, LSU forward Angel Reese and other stars.