National Sports Journalism Center

"Despite the presence of the always-popular North Carolina Tar Heels, last year marked the lowest-rated NCAA men’s basketball tournament final ever," Louisa Ada Seltzer writes, adding, "The game turned into a blowout just a few minutes after the opening tipoff, and people drifted away as UNC’s lead grew. This year, with Butler and Duke poised to square off for the title Monday at 9 p.m., CBS is hoping that ratings will revive compared to last year. They could be decent. Duke has a large fan-base, and defensive-minded Butler’s a surprise participant after entering the tourney as a fifth seed, which could draw in curious viewers. But a big-name team doesn’t guarantee big ratings. The 2009 game with UNC averaged a 10.6 household rating, according to Nielsen, down 12 percent from a 12.0 the previous year, when Kansas beat Memphis." || Butler scores big ratings. Here. || Duke draws biggest semifinal rating in five years. Here.