TALKING POINTS
March Madness: Tournament ratings up after most-watched Elite Eight Sunday in 5 years
NEW YORK — The Elite Eight game between NC State and Duke produced the largest audience for an Easter Sunday telecast on any network in 11 years.
The Wolfpack’s 7664 victory over the Blue Devils in the South Region final averaged 15.1 million viewers on CBS, according to Nielsen. The 2013 Elite Eight game between Duke and Louisville averaged 15.6 million.
Overall, the NCAA Tournament is averaging 9.4 million viewers on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV, a 4% increase over last year.
Sunday’s first game between Purdue and Tennessee averaged 10.4 million, making it the most-watched early regional final in five years.
Sunday’s viewer average of 12.8 million is a 30% increase over last year, and the mostwatched Elite Eight doubleheader since 2019.
Thursday and Friday’s Sweet 16 games on CBS, TBS and truTV averaged 10.3 million, up 5% from 2023.
Alabama’s victory over North Carolina on Thursday night on CBS was the most-watched regional semifinal game, with a 7.8 million viewer average. Duke’s win over Houston on Friday night drew 7.3 million on CBS.
Edey of Purdue, Newton and Bueckers of UConn, Iowa’s Clark among finalists for John R. Wooden Award
LOS ANGELES — Zach Edey of Purdue and Tristen Newton of UConn are among the five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award as the nation’s outstanding men’s college basketball player of the season.
Joining them are RJ Davis of North Carolina, Dalton Knecht of Tennessee and Jamal Shead of Houston.
Edey, who won the award last year, and Newton, will lead their teams at this weekend’s Final Four in Arizona.
Hunter Dickinson of Kansas, Kyle Filipowski of Duke, Tyler Kolek of Marquette, Jaedon LeDee of San Diego State and Caleb Love of Arizona were also named Tuesday to the Wooden All American team.
Caitlin Clark of Iowa and Paige Bueckers of UConn are among the five finalists for the women’s Wooden Award. The others are Cameron Brink of Stanford and freshmen JuJu Watkins of Southern California and Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame.
Clark, who won last year, and Bueckers, who was the 2021 winner, are playing in the Final Four this weekend in Cleveland.
The women’s Wooden All American team also includes Georgia Amoore and Elizabeth Kitley of Virginia Tech,
Kamilla Cardoso of South Carolina, Angel Reese of LSU an Aaliyah Edwards of UConn.
Voting took place from March 18-25. Kentucky’s John Calipari will receive the Legends of Coaching award at the dinner in Los Angeles on April 12.
Andy Enfield says he wouldn’t be SMU’s coach if the Mustangs weren’t going to the ACC
DALLAS — Andy Enfield went from Florida Gulf Coast’s “Dunk City” and the Sweet 16 to Los Angeles, and now Dallas to take over the SMU program that is headed to the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 36-year drought since winning an NCAA Tournament game.
Enfield wouldn’t be in Big D if the Mustangs weren’t about to move into that basketball-rich league.
“Uh, no,” Enfield said, when asked just that. “We were extremely happy at USC, and I had an incredible staff, players, great support from the administration, and we lived at the beach. So not bad at all.”
Enfield was formally introduced on the SMU campus Tuesday, a day after being officially hired and about about 10 days after school officials went to California to meet with the coach who was at the top of their list to lead them into major conference play. The move to the ACC becomes official July 1.
“He shared the high expectations we have for our program, and he embraces that,” SMU athletic director Rick Hart said. “‘He’s done it at a school like ours, in a city like ours, and in a conference like the one we’re headed to.”
After taking No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast to the Sweet 16 in 2013, in only the second season that school was eligible for the tournament, Enfield spent the past 11 years at Southern California. He was 220147 with five NCAA appearances there, including an Elite Eight in 2021. The Trojans were 15-18 this season with Bronny James as a freshman, ending a run of four consecutive years winning more than 20 games.
Voters reject stadium tax for Royals and Chiefs, leaving future in KC in question
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The future of the Royals and Chiefs in Kansas City was thrown into question Tuesday night when residents of Jackson County, Missouri, resoundingly voted down a sales tax measure that would helped to fund a new downtown ballpark along with major renovations to Arrowhead Stadium.
Royals owner John Sherman and Chiefs president Mark Donovan acknowledged long before the final tally that the initiative would fail. More than 58% of voters ultimately rejected the plan, which would have replaced an existing three-eighths of a cent sales tax that has been paying for the upkeep of Truman Sports Complex — the home for more than 50 years to Kauffman and Arrowhead Stadiums — with a similar tax that would have been in place for the next 40 years.
The Royals, who had pledged at least $1 billion from ownership for their project, wanted to use their share of the tax revenue to help fund a $2 billion-plus ballpark district. The Super Bowl champion Chiefs, who had committed $300 million in private money, would have used their share as part of an $800 million overhaul of Arrowhead Stadium.
Rangers 3B Josh Jung to have surgery for broken right wrist
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Texas third baseman Josh Jung was scheduled for surgery Tuesday on his broken right wrist and will miss about six weeks, according to Rangers general manager Chris Young.
Jung was hurt when he was hit by a pitch from Tampa Bay reliever Phil Maton on a swinging strike in the ninth inning of the Rangers 9-3 win on Monday night. He was placed on the 10-day injured list and infielder Justin Foscus was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday.
“He was very dejected last night, understandably, and he was in pain too,” Young said, “I hate it for him. He worked so hard. He came in a great shape and obviously had the calf injury and worked hard to be back by opening day.”
Jung missed time during spring training with a calf strain.
Young said screws and a plate were to be used during the operation in Phoenix.
The 26-year-old Jung hit .266 with 23 home runs and a .781 OPS last season, finishing fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting despite missing time with a broken left thumb.