The past two rounds of the 2026 NCAA Tournament has seen a surge in viewership in both CBS and TNT Sports. The game between St. John’s and Kansas especially drew the most viewers.
As per data obtained by On3, the game between St. John’s and Kansas averaged 10.58 million viewers on CBS, with the network recording nine of the Top 10 most-watched games of March Madness this year. With this year’s tournament, CBS and TNT Sports saw a 7% rise in viewership through the first two rounds.
Here are all of those games and the average number of viewership that they drew this year.
St. John’s vs. Kansas (Round of 32) – 10.58 Million Viewers – CBS
The St. John’s and Kansas matchup led the charge in TV ratings and became the most-watched men’s college basketball game of the season to date. In this matchup, an average of 10.58 million viewers tuned in to their screens to watch the Red Storm take down the Jayhawks with a buzzer-beating shot by Dylan Darling in the Round of 32.
Kentucky vs. Iowa State (Round of 32) – 9.79 million viewers – CBS
During the matchup, it looked like Iowa State could face an upset against Kentucky. However, the Cyclones were not the ones to give up and easily defeated the Wildcats to book their berth for the Sweet 16. More than 9.79 million viewers tuned into their screens for this game.
TCU vs. Duke (Round of 32) – 9.55 million viewers – CBS
Surviving Siena in the first round might have seemed easy for Duke. But then again, facing TCU in the second round, Duke anticipated another upset scare. Thanks to Cameron Boozer, the Blue Devils’ hopes for the season prevailed and they have progressed to the Sweet 16. This matchup averaged over 9.55 million viewers.
Louisville vs. Michigan State (Round of 32) – 8.47 million viewers – CBS
After a 77-69 win against Louisville, Michigan State secured its second straight trip to the Sweet 16. This nail-bitingly close matchup averaged 8.47 million viewers on CBS in the afternoon window on Saturday, becoming the fourth-most watched game of the tournament so far this season.
Miami (FL) vs. Purdue (Round of 32) – 6.83 million – CBS
Though Miami (FL) didn’t make it through this round, it did make things rough for Purdue. Miami had a 40-38 lead at half time but Purdue was quick to bounce back in the second half and book its berth to Sweet 16. This game averaged 6.83 million viewers on CBS.
St. Louis vs. Michigan (Round of 32) – 6.25 million viewers – CBS
After a dominant performance against Georgia in the first round, it seemed easy for St. Louis to go up against Michigan in the Round of 32. However, the Wolverines made an incredible second-half comeback to walk away with a 95-72 victory. This game averaged over 6.25 million viewers on CBS.
VCU vs. Illinois (Round of 64) – 5.65 million viewers – CBS
After ousting North Carolina in the first round, VCU was running with high hopes to continue the momentum. But Illinois came prepared with a high-octane offense that did not leave any room for VCU to fight back. With this, the Fighting Illini booked their tickets to the Sweet 16 with a 76-55 victory in front of 5.65 viewers watching the game.
Siena vs. Duke (Round of 64) – 5.43 million viewers – CBS
This game seemed like an easy win for Duke but it wasn’t. Siena didn’t make any substitutions for the first 39 minutes and gave Duke all it could handle. However, the Blue Devils emerged with a 71-65 win to avoid an upset over a 16-seed team, all thanks to a double-double by Cameron Boozer.
Iowa vs Florida (Round of 32) – 5.14 million viewers – TNT
This was TNT’s most-watched game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament so far which featured Iowa knocking out the reigning national champions Florida from the tournament in the Round of 32. This game drew more than 5.14 million viewers.
Santa Clara vs. Kentucky (Round of 64) – 4.99 million viewers – CBS
Kentucky appeared in two of the Top 10 most viewed games of this year’s tournament. In this win over Santa Clara, Otega Oweh hit a buzzer-beater which sent the game to OT. However, the Wildcats secured the dub in extra period to advance to the second round. Close to 5 million people tuned in to their screens to watch this thrilling matchup.
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