College Basketball TV Ratings: Tracking the most-watched men’s teams of the 2025-26 season

As the calendar prepares to flip to 2026, college basketball conference games are on the horizon. Some marquee games highlighted the non-conference slate and brought some strong TV ratings in the early part of the men’s college basketball season.

Nielsen has now released its Top 10 most-watched teams of the year, led by some of the storied programs in the sport. The rankings include data from CBS, The CW, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, USA, truTV and TNT – with Michigan State and Arkansas leading the charge.

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On3 is tracking the most-watched men’s college basketball teams, according to Nielsen TV ratings data. Here is the full Top 10 through Dec. 22. Note: This story will be updated regularly throughout the 2025-26 season.

1. Michigan State

Through Dec. 22, Michigan State is the most-watched team in college basketball, according to Nielsen. The Spartans played in multiple high-profile games to start the year, including one of the top games on Thanksgiving.

MSU’s victory over North Carolina averaged 6.499 million viewers on FOX, becoming the network’s most-watched college basketball game on record after an NFL lead-in. The Spartans’ only non-conference loss came to Duke as they turn their attention to Big Ten play.

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2. Arkansas

Photo credit: Steve Roberts – Imagn Images

Amid a 9-3 record entering the non-conference finale, Arkansas has emerged as one of the top teams in the SEC. The Razorbacks were also part of the jam-packed Thanksgiving slate, falling to Duke in the most-watched game of the season to date.

Arkansas has two marquee victories on its resume through non-conference play, including a thrilling victory over Louisville. Freshman Darius Acuff has led the charge with team-highs in scoring and assists per game through the first two months of the year.

3. Duke

Led once again by a true freshman standout, Duke has been one of the top teams in the country this year. The Blue…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/college-basketball-tv-ratings-tracking-230615860.html

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Publish date : 2025-12-29 23:06:00

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