If you needed another reminder of how good a year the Big 12 is having basketball-wise, look no further than the first weekend’s television ratings.
Unsurprisingly, the Kansas-St.John’s thriller topped the charts with the second-round matchup striking 10.58 million viewers as Bill Self and the Jayhawks rallied back from down 14 only to fall short of the Johnnies in the final seconds. No. 5 St. John’s takes on No. 1 Duke on Friday at 6:10 p.m. CT on CBS.
No. 2 Iowa State‘s 82-63 win over No. 7 Kentucky finished second overall with 9.79 million folks tuning in as T.J. Otzelberger and the Cyclones punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 for the first time in two years. Iowa State, taking on No. 6 Tennessee on Friday at 9:10 p.m. CT, should do big numbers again.
The Blue Devils saw to No. 9 TCU‘s demise in the second round, but even a 23-point loss for Jamie Dixon‘s crew finished third overall in ratings with 9.55 million people tuning in as the Frogs clung to a 44-all contest with 13:56 left to play. TCU missed 15 of its next 17 tries, and Duke soared into the Sweet 16.
Predicting the Sweet 16’s TV Winners
(1) Duke vs. (5) St. John’s: How can you not love this matchup? Rick Pitino and the Johnnies survived a near-comeback by No. 4 Kansas to enter the Sweet 16 with Jon Scheyer and the top dogs. Duke is only a 6.5-point favorite, and Zuby Ejiofor is coming off an 18-point performance against his former team.
(9) Iowa vs. (4) Nebraska: Ah, the barnyard brawl. Feels like folks have prayed for this one since the bracket dropped, and boy, should it be a good one. Nebraska is favored by less than a bucket. Pryce Sandfort is an Iowa kid, too, so this one has all the drama a Big Ten rematch should.
(3) Michigan State vs. (2) UConn: Another close, blue-blood contest featuring a former Michigan Wolverine in Tarris Reed Jr. He’s shooting a wild 62.8% from the floor entering this contest and is lined up against another quality talent in Jeremy Fears Jr. (15.3 ppg).
