CBS saw big gains during the final half hour of its NCAA men’s basketball coverage last night, posting the evening’s highest rating, but ABC’s solid lineup boosted the network to No. 1 for the night.

ABC averaged a 3.5 adults 18-49 rating and 9 share, according to Nielsen overnights, edging CBS’s 3.0/8. As a reminder, fast nationals measure timeslot data and not actual program data, so numbers for CBS’s live sports coverage will likely adjust when final ratings are released.

The final half hour of the thriller between Kansas and Davidson, which sent the Jayhawks to the Final Four, averaged a 5.4 rating and 17.2 million total viewers. Both look to be way up over the same night last year, when basketball posted a 3.9 rating and 10.98 million viewers from 7 to 7:30 p.m.

But while CBS’s ratings slid from there, ABC did well over the next three hours. Starting at 8 p.m., the three-hour block of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Oprah’s Big Give” and “Here Come the Newlyweds” were all up over the previous week.

“Makeover” was the night’s top non-sports program, averaging a 4.5, up 15 percent over last week’s 3.9.

The fifth episode of “Give” showed week-to-week growth for the first time, rising 11 percent from last week’s 3.5. And “Newlyweds” grew 7 percent, from a 2.9 to a 3.1. All three shows won their timeslots.

Meanwhile, on the night, Fox placed third at 2.5/7, NBC fourth at 1.4/4, Univision fifth at 1.1/3 and CW sixth at 0.6/2.
 
CBS began the night in the lead with a 4.3 at 7 p.m. for NCAA basketball overrun and the first half of “60 Minutes,” with ABC second with a 2.4 for a repeat of “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” Fox was third that hour with a 1.7 for repeats of “King of the Hill” and “American Dad,” Univision fourth with a 0.8 for “Hora Pico” and “P. Luche,” and NBC and CW tied for fifth at 0.6, NBC for a special “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” and CW for a repeat of “America’s Next Top Model.”
 
At 8 p.m. ABC took the lead with a 4.5 for “Home Edition,” followed by Fox with a 3.1 average for “The Simpsons” (3.4) and “King of the Hill” (2.7). CBS was third with a 2.8 for the end of “60 Minutes” and the start of “Big Brother,” NBC fourth with a 1.7 for “Dateline,” Univision fifth with a 1.0 for the first hour of the three-hour special “Por Siempre… Selena” and CW sixth with a 0.4 for “Everybody Hates Chris” (0.5) and a repeat of “Aliens in America” (0.3).
 
ABC led again at 9 p.m. with a 3.9 for “Give,” while Fox remained second with a 2.8 average for a “Family Guy” repeat and a new “Unhitched” (2.1). CBS was third with a 2.6 for “Big Brother” and “Cold Case,” NBC fourth with a 1.5 for a “Law & Order” rerun, Univision fifth with a 1.2 for another hour of the “Selena” special and CW sixth with a 0.7 for “The Game” (0.7) and a repeat of “Girlfriends” (0.7).
 
At 10 p.m. ABC was first with a 3.1 for “Newlyweds,” CBS second with a 2.2 for the end of “Cold Case” and the start of “Dexter,” NBC third with a 2.0 for a repeat of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and Univision fourth with a 1.2 for the last hour of the “Selena” special.
 
Among households, CBS led the night with a 6.7 average overnight rating and an 11 share. ABC was second at 6.0/10, NBC third at 3.9/6, Fox fourth at 3.2/5, Univision fifth at 1.4/2 and CW sixth at 1.0/2.