Auburn Final Four Run Among Most-Watched Basketball Games of the Year

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Alec Musa | Last updated Jun 26, 2025 2:34 AM ET

Last season, the Auburn Tigers basketball program accumulated 32 wins, their most in a storied 119-year existence.

Powered by an elite offense, Auburn started the season with a sparkling 27-2 record while surpassing 90 points a ludicrous 11 times. However, much of their success became overshadowed by the unprecedented success of three other teams: The Duke Blue Devils, the Houston Cougars, and the Florida Gators.

Naturally, the quartet of 30-win teams dominated and earned one-seeds in the March Madness field. After the dust settled on a hectic first two weekends of the NCAA Tournament, the four juggernauts found themselves in the Final Four.

According to the College Basketball Report on Twitter, the nation took notice of the elite talent on display this season, with the final three games of the season among the most-watched basketball games of the year.

The fourth most watched game of the year, and third among college hoops, featured the Auburn Tigers. In front of 14.8 million television viewers, Auburn lost a 79-73 heartbreaker to Florida in the Final Four.

Only Florida's title victory over Houston, Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the other Final Four tilt featuring Duke and Houston surpassed Auburn's final game in terms of viewership.

The fifth most-watched basketball game of the season was also during Auburn's Final Four run. In the Elite Eight, head coach Bruce Pearl and Auburn bested the Michigan State Spartans 70-63. The contest amassed 11.7 million watched.

College basketball thrived last season, with just one of the seven most-watched basketball games of the 2024-25 season belonging to the NBA. The SEC also reigned supreme, with four of the five most-watched college games featuring a team from the conference.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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