![Iowa vs. LSU game draws 12.3M viewers, record for NCAA women’s basketball](https://www.nydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-2131484189.jpg?w=1400px&strip=all)
Iowa’s rematch against Louisiana State University in the NCAA women’s
basketball tournament has , according to
ESPN. It was a do-over for Iowa and Caitlin Clark, who lost last year’s tournament championship to Angel Reese and the Tigers. This year, the WNBA-bound phenom from Des Moines was able to get revenge, The matchup was not for an Elite Eight victory that now sends Iowa to the Final Four as the tournament continues. Along with bringing in the highest viewership of any women’s college basketball game ever on ESPN’s platforms, the matchup saw the second-highest ratings of any college or pro basketball game since 2012, the network noted. It , which dates all the way back to the between USC and Louisiana Tech. Last year’s championship between LSU and Iowa raked in 9.9 million viewers. This round of the Elite Eight, which concluded on Monday, had a total viewership that was up nearly 184% from last year’s round, according to ESPN. Part of the spike in viewership was due to the growing popularity of Iowa’s Clark, who this year became the Other superstars in the sport have also emerged in recent years, including UConn’s Paige Bueckers, USC’s JuJu Watkins, Stanford’s Cameron Brink and LSU’s Reese. “No matter which way it went tonight,” she said after the tough loss, “I knew this was going to be a night for the ages.” Reese also took time to stand up for herself and address threats she’s received this season. “I’ve been through so much,” she said. “I’ve seen so much. I’ve been attacked so many times, death threats. I’ve been sexualized. I’ve been threatened. I’ve been so many things and I’ve stood strong every single time.”