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March is one of the most exciting times of the year for fans of men’s and women’s basketball – full of intense games, upsets, underdogs, and buzzer-beaters. As college basketball prepares to tip off the madness of March tournaments, below are seven insights and highlights from this basketball season.
#1. Star Players Drove Viewership
Nothing fuels fandom like a star athlete on your favorite team or a generational talent who elevates the game no matter where they play. Stars attracted more fans in person, online, and through television viewership this season.
Women’s Basketball Top Games Viewership
- Last year, Caitlin Clark set the standard and helped drive the game’s fandom in Iowa and nationwide.
- This year, stars like Paige Bueckers at UConn and Juju Watkins at USC attracted more fans and TV viewership, with the Huskies playing in two of the most watched games this season.
Men’s Basketball Top Games Viewership
- SEC rivals, the then #1 ranked Auburn Tigers and the then #2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, lived up to the hype during their February meeting, generating the highest viewership of any regular-season game.
- Freshman phenom Cooper Flag and the Duke Blue Devils continued to capture fans’ attention as they played in two of the top five most-watched televised games this season.
#2. Marquee Moments are Social Media Gold
Big plays and special moments define seasons and create sports memories for years to come. Two of the three most significant moments and spikes in social media impressions this season came from a Cooper Flag highlight dunk and the Caitlin Clark jersey retirement night – a game in which Iowa upset highly ranked USC.
#3. Fans Have Insatiable Social Media Appetites
Fans craved highlights, updates, and insights from their favorite teams and players on social media, which translated to growth in key metrics. Social media’s instant and viral nature reached fans on the go, showcasing these platforms’ power, reach, and engagement.
Social Insights and Metrics for the ‘24-25 Season
#4. Fans Consumed Content from Official Athletic Sites
When fans wanted more in-depth information beyond the quick, bite-sized content on social media, they relied on their team’s official athletics sites for deeper highlights and updates. Website pageviews for men’s basketball increased 17% year-over-year, growing content and consumption from fans looking to learn more about their favorite team and players.
Specific conferences led the way with the most significant increases in webpage consumption, contributing to growth in annual impressions.
#5. Rivalries and In-Conference Games Fueled Demand
Unsurprisingly, teams that faced their in-conference rivals drove greater demand for primary and secondary ticket sales. Coming off a very strong ’23-24′ season, men’s total basketball ticket sales remained relatively flat year-over-year; however, big games and top-ranked opponents drove secondary ticket sales growth.
Men’s Basketball Secondary Tickets Resold (Integrated)
- This season, the highest average resale ticket prices for men’s basketball were for the recent Duke vs. UNC game at $774 and the Auburn vs. Alabama game at $778.
- Driven by Alabama’s exciting ’23-24′ season and the team’s strong on-court success this year, ticket resale volume increased by 80% year-over-year for the Crimson Tide.
*Data through February ‘25
Women’s Basketball
Women’s basketball saw continued growth, building on the historic momentum and excitement of the ’23-24′ season. This year, women’s primary basketball ticket sales grew by 3%, outpacing men’s basketball ticket sales in overall growth.
Women’s Basketball Tickets Sold
- UConn set a ticket sales record last year in the ’23-24′ season, led by star players and the all-time winningest coach in college basketball history, Geno Auriemma.
- This season, UConn experienced continued success with primary ticket sales increasing by 4% adding to their record-setting tally from last year.
*Data through February ‘25
Women’s Basketball Secondary Tickets Resold (Integrated)
- The highest average resale ticket price for women’s basketball this season was for the USC at Iowa game, which yielded an average price of $344.
*Data through February ‘25
#6. Highly Ranked Conference Opponents Drove Attendance
The SEC isn’t just a football powerhouse – they also have a stable of some of the most talented teams in the country for both men’s and women’s basketball, which drove high attendance for key matchups. Strong ACC teams also continued to be a draw for fans and boasted some of the most attended games of this season.
MBB 24-25 Top 5 Highest Attended Games
Tennessee vs. Alabama Game Highlights (3-1-15)
- The game attracted the fifth-largest sellout crowd in arena history, including the second largest since the 2007-08 capacity reduction.
- The crowd of 22,392 was the second-largest single-game attendance at any venue in Division I basketball this season, giving Tennessee two of the top four highest-attended games.
WBB 24-25 Top 5 Highest Attended Games
- Last year, South Carolina broke its record for total attendance, bringing in 273,000 fans to Colonial Life Arena including multiple sold-out games.
- This year, South Carolina is on track to break the total attendance record again, driving continued growth for Dawn Staley’s powerhouse program.
#7. Merchandise Sales Growth Follows Strong On-Court Performance
Fans want to represent their teams and wear their colors to show fandom with team gear and merchandise. As expected, there is a positive correlation between team success and merchandise sales, with top-performing schools realizing significant year-over-year licensed merchandise sales growth during the season.
Sample Men’s AP Top 25 Schools Merchandise Sales Growth
*Represents partial season sales of all school-branded merchandise compared to the same period year-over-year with data available at the time of publishing.
Sample Women’s AP Top 25 Schools Merchandise Sales Growth
*Represents partial season sales of all school-branded merchandise compared to the same period year-over-year with data available at the time of publishing.
The passion of college fans is unrivaled, and the engagement with college brands continues to grow. It has been another exciting basketball season showcasing that the power and excitement of college athletics is a slam dunk. Now it is time to bring on the March tournaments and let the madness begin!