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Quashed hopes
for NCAA's title game

Ratings are down as it is, in part from blowout games

By Diego Vasquez
Apr 7, 2008

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All signs point to a bummer of a finale when the men’s NCAA basketball tournament wraps up tonight at 9 p.m. as Kansas and Memphis square off in the title game.

Ratings for the tournament thus far are pacing 7 percent behind last year, at an average 5.2 household rating and 11 share, down from last year’s 5.6/12. That’s the worst numbers since 2003, when Iraq War coverage preempted some of the tournament games and the Syracuse-Kansas final sank to a then-all-time low 12.7/19 rating.

But this year’s numbers are also a little deceptive. First- and second-round coverage aired over Easter weekend for the first time in years, a holiday when ratings traditionally dip for sporting events and primetime viewing. Also, as CBS points out, there’s been a huge number of blowout games in the tourney.

Of the 60 games played through last weekend, 34 have been decided by 12 points or more, five more than last year and 12 more than in 2006. Unless they’re superfans, viewers generally won’t stay tuned for blowouts.

Close games typically have often done better. Last Sunday’s regional final between top-seeded Kansas and 10th-seeded Davidson, won by the Jayhawks 59-57, was up 19 percent over the comparable timeslot game last year.

Last year’s NCAA championship game between Florida and Ohio State averaged a 12.2 rating, third-lowest in history. Ratings for the finals tend to rise and fall based on who’s playing, not on how the tournament has performed in the previous rounds, and Florida and OSU are more popular on the football field than the basketball court.

Many had been betting on a decent-rated final between UCLA and North Carolina, who between them have won more than 10 NCAA titles, but those squads got blown out in their semifinal games, too. Finalists Kansas and Memphis, while also tourney top seeds, do not have the national popularity of those two squads.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
MONDAY, APRIL 7
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 p.m.	ESPN2	“Major League Baseball” (S)	The Devil Rays take on the Yankees in the Bronx.
8 p.m.	ABC	“Dancing with the Stars” (R)	This week the dances are the paso doble and the Viennese waltz.
9 p.m.	CBS	“College Basketball” (S)	The national title game, live from San Antonio.
9 p.m.	VH1	“Flavor of Love” (R)	Flav throws three mock weddings.
10 p.m.	ABC	“The Bachelor” (R)	Bachelor Matt takes one of the gals on a 1950s-themed date.
10 p.m.	NBC	“Medium” (D)	Patricia’s sister Rosanna Arquette guests as a suspect in the murders of two young men.
10 p.m.	MTV	“The Hills” (R)	Brody warns Lauren that Stephanie’s coming to her birthday party.
TUESDAY, APRIL 8
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	“Today” (N)	Melora Hardin and Marilu Henner both guest.
8 p.m.	CBS	“NCIS” (D)	It’s back, but how will it perform against “Idol?”
8 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	The final eight go through another round of performances.
8 p.m.	NBC	“The Biggest Loser” (R)	It’s the last week on campus, and final four must train on their own.
9 p.m.	Fox	“Hell’s Kitchen” (R)	Can Ramsay keep ratings at last week’s level?
10 p.m.	CBS	“Secret Talents of the Stars” (A)	Series premiere. Among other things, Clint Black performs comedy and George Takei sings country.
10 p.m.	FX	“The Riches” (D)	Dahlia starts to realize that living an honest life isn’t as easy as she thought.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	“Good Morning America” (N)	Laurence Fishburne and Cokie Roberts both make appearances.
7 p.m.	ESPN2	“Major League Baseball” (S)	The Phillies take on the Mets at Shea Stadium.
7:30 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	A host of big-name celebrities make appearances for the now-annual “Idol Gives Back” episode.
8 p.m.	CW	“America’s Next Top Model” (R)	A clip show of what’s happened so far this cycle.
9 p.m.	CBS	“Criminal Minds” (D)	What at first appears to be a rash of suicides in Pittsburgh might actually be mass murder.
9:30 p.m.	ESPN	“NBA Basketball” (S)	The Suns and the Spurs face off as the teams jockey for playoff position.
10 p.m.	MTV	“If I Were King” (A)	Examining Diddy’s career as a fashion designer.
THURSDAY, APRIL 10
Time	Network	Program	Description
6 p.m.	ESPN2	“College Hockey” (S)	A semifinal in the NCAA men’s Frozen Four.
8 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	This week’s results show, a day late due to last night’s “Idol Gives Back.”
8:30 p.m.	NBC	“30 Rock” (C)	Jack finds a ratings hit in the reality show “MILF Island.”
9 p.m.	CBS	“CSI” (D)	Catherine looks into a murder of a 3-year-old near a comedy club.
9 p.m.	NBC	“The Office” (C)	Jan and Michael throw a dinner party in the show’s post-strike return.
10 p.m.	ABC	“Eli Stone” (D)	Katey Sagal guests as a partner looking into why the firm is losing high-profile clients.
10 p.m.	NBC	“ER” (D)	Sam finds out that Gates and Julia aren’t a couple anymore.
FRIDAY, APRIL 11
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	“Good Morning America” (N)	Chef Wolfgang Puck guests, as does Lee Woodruff.
4 p.m.	ESPN	“Golf” (S)	Second-round coverage of The Masters, from Augusta, Ga.
8 p.m.	CBS	“Ghost Whisperer” (D)	Melinda confronts a blogger who knows her secret.
9 p.m.	NBC	“Miss USA” (A)	The 57th annual event, hosted by Donny and Marie Osmond.
10 p.m.	CBS	“Numb3rs” (D)	Charlie trains with the FBI in hopes of learning to defend himself.
10 p.m.	Versus	“NHL Hockey” (S)	Coverage of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, teams TBD.
SATURDAY, APRIL 12
Time	Network	Program	Description
3:30 p.m.	CBS	“Golf” (S)	Third-round play from The Masters, the year’s first major.
3:30 p.m.	Fox	“Major League Baseball” (S)	Either Yankees-Red Sox or Rockies-Diamondbacks.
7 p.m.	ESPN	“College Hockey” (S)	The college hockey national championship game, won last year by Michigan State.
8 p.m.	Fox	“NASCAR Racing” (S)	The Subway Fresh Fit 500, live from Phoenix.
9 p.m.	Lifetime	“The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” (M)	Based on the best-selling novel by Kim Edwards.
11:30 p.m.	NBC	“Saturday Night Live” (C)	Ashton Kutcher hosts, Gnarls Barkley provides the tunes.
SUNDAY, APRIL 13
Time	Network	Program	Description
2:30 p.m.	CBS	“Golf” (S)	Final round of The Masters, won last year by Zach Johnson.
3:30 p.m.	ABC	“NBA Basketball” (S)	Big game between the Spurs and Lakers in L.A.
8 p.m.	ABC	“Oprah’s Big Give” (R)	The final three each head home, and John Travolta makes an appearance.
8 p.m.	Fox	“The Simpsons” (C)	The fam takes in a country singer who owes back taxes.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Desperate Housewives” (D)	Some of Katherine’s secrets flutter around Wisteria Lane.
10 p.m.	Comedy Central	“Night of Too Many Stars” An Overbooked Concert for Autism Education” (A, C)	Benefit concert hosted by “Daily Show’s” Jon Stewart.
10 p.m.	FX	“Dirt” (D)	Season finale. An overweight TV star tries to prevent showing up on the cover of the magazine.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.