NCAA Makes Major Announcement After Final Four

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Apr 6, 2025 5:01 PM ET

After two exciting NCAA Tournament Final Four games on Saturday night, the 68-team field is now down to just two teams: the Florida Gators and the Houston Cougars.

Florida knocked off the Auburn Tigers, 79-73, in the first game after Walter Clayton Jr. dropped 34 points on 11-of-18 shooting. In the nightcap, Houston beat the Duke Blue Devils, 70-67, after facing a 14-point deficit with just under 12 minutes to play and then a six-point deficit with under 40 seconds.

The next day, the NCAA announced that the Final Four averaged "15.3 million viewers on CBS, the most-watched since 2017." CBS's coverage also peaked at "20.4 million viewers."

The ratings were also broken out by game. For the Florida-Auburn game, it was the "most-watched early Final Four game since 2017, averaging 14.6 million viewers." And for the Houston-Duke game, it was the "most-watched game of the 2025 Tournament, averaging 16 million viewers."

Final Four scores 15.3 million viewers on CBS, the most-watched since 2017.

Coverage peaked with 20.4 million viewers.

*Numbers expected to increase when Final data is available on Tuesday pic.twitter.com/sri6P5REyi
— March Madness Men’s Basketball TV (@MM_MBB_TV) April 6, 2025

The final ratings will be released on Tuesday following Monday night’s national championship game, which will also air on CBS. The NCAA expects those numbers to climb even higher.

Tip-off between Florida and Houston is scheduled for 8:50 p.m. ET. According to ESPN BET, Florida is favored by 1.5 points.

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

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