Viewers didn’t exactly forget about the return of ABC’s amnesiac sitcom “Samantha Who?,” but it was overshadowed by the competing men’s NCAA basketball championship on CBS last night.

“Samantha” averaged a 3.5 adults 18-49 rating in its 9:30 p.m. timeslot, according to Nielsen overnights, holding 65 percent of its 9 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars” lead-in but finishing well behind NCAA coverage, at a 6.6.

As a reminder, fast nationals are based on timeslot data, not full program data, meaning estimates for CBS’s live basketball coverage will likely change when they’re released later today.

“Samantha” improved its average from a handful of outings without “Stars” over the winter, when it sank below a 3.0. But the show was also down 22 percent from a 4.5 for its debut last fall and marked its lowest-rated post-"Stars" episode to date.

Still, “Samantha” could well rise next week, when there’s no competing NCAA game. ABC viewers clearly switched over to the game when “Stars” was finished, as CBS went from a 4.8 rating at 9 p.m., during the first half hour of game coverage, to a 6.6 at 9:30 p.m.

And “Samantha” continued to perform well among women 18-49 and women 25-54, winning its timeslot in both demos.

CBS was first for the night among viewers 18-49, according to fast national data, averaging a 5.4 overnight rating and a 14 share. ABC was second at 3.9/10, NBC third at 2.5/7, Fox fourth at 2.4/6, Univision fifth at 1.8/5 and CW sixth at 0.5/1.
 
ABC began the night in the lead with a 4.5 rating at 8 p.m. for its first hour of “Stars,” followed by CBS with a 4.0 for repeats of “The Big Bang Theory” and “Two and a Half Men.” Fox was third with a 2.5 for a repeat of “House,” Univision fourth with a 2.1 for “Al Diablo con los Guapos,” NBC fifth with a 1.3 for “My Dad is Better than Your Dad” and CW sixth with a 0.5 for a repeat of “Gossip Girl.”
 
At 9 p.m. CBS took the lead with a 5.7 for its first hour of NCAA men’s basketball coverage, while ABC slid to second with a 4.5 for the last half hour of “Stars” and “Samantha.” NBC was third with a 2.9 for “Deal or No Deal,” Fox fourth with a 2.3 for “New Amsterdam,” Univision fifth with a 1.8 for “Pasion” and CW sixth with a 0.5 for a “One Tree Hill” rerun.
 
CBS led again at 10 p.m. with a 6.5 for basketball, with NBC second with a 3.4 for “Medium.” ABC was third with a 2.6 for “The Bachelor” and Univision fourth with a 1.4 for “Cristina.”
 
Among households, CBS led the night with a 9.4 average overnight rating and a 14 share, just ahead of ABC’s 9.3/14. NBC was third at 5.3/8, Fox fourth at 4.6/7, Univision fifth at 2.2/3 and CW sixth at 0.9/1.