Michigan State vs. Marquette Basketball the Most-Watched NCAA First-Weekend Game

The Michigan State Spartans were all the talk last weekend, as they pulled in the largest audiences of the NCAA Tournament’s opening rounds.

Sunday’s (March 19) Michigan State-Marquette NCAA men’s basketball tournament second round game garnered a 5.9 rating and 10.91 million viewers on CBS. The Spartans, a 7-seed, and 2-seeded Marquette went against each other for Sweet 16 bragging rights. The Spartans achieved a nine-point win over Marquette to move on.

The game ranked as the most-watched of the tournament so far. Even though the Spartans were underdogs to even get into the top 32 teams, they defied odds and made it into the Sweet 16.

Now, the 7-seed Spartans are 2-point favorites over Kansas State, a 3-seed, going into Thursday’s (March 23) game. Michigan State will take on against Kansas State on Thursday in the Sweet 16. That game will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Sunday's Michigan State-Marquette game drew 10.9 million viewers on CBS, making it the most watched NCAA Tournament game of the first weekend.

— Kevin Pauga (@KevinPauga) March 21, 2023