Through the first two rounds of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, CBS and TNT Sports have seen a surge in viewership. The Round of 32 game between St. John’s and Kansas led the charge.

On3 obtained Nielsen Big Data + Panel data for the Rounds of 64 and 32 to start March Madness. St. John’s victory over Kansas was the only game to top 10 million viewers, averaging 10.58 million on CBS. In fact, CBS had nine of the Top 10 most-watched games of the 2026 NCAA Tournament to date.

SUBSCRIBE to the On3 NIL and Sports Business Newsletter

All told, CBS and TNT Sports said viewership is up 7% from last year with an average of 10.1 million viewers through the first two rounds. Here are the most-watched college basketball games from the Rounds of 64 and 32, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel TV ratings data.

St. John’s vs. Kansas (Round of 32)

Date/Time: March 22, 5:15 p.m. ET
Channel: CBS
Viewers: 10.58 million

St. John’s victory over Kansas led the TV ratings charge and is the most-watched men’s college basketball game of the season to date. An average of 10.58 million viewers tuned to CBS as the Red Storm took down the Jayhawks on a buzzer-beating shot by Dylan Darling in the Round of 32.

Kentucky vs. Iowa State (Round of 32)

Date/Time: March 22, 2:40 p.m. ET
Channel: CBS
Viewers: 9.79 million

Early in the Round of 32 matchup against Iowa State, it looked like Kentucky had an upset on its mind. But the Cyclones hit the gas and didn’t look back as they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, and more than 9.79 million viewers tuned in for the game.

TCU vs. Duke (Round of 32)

Date/Time: March 21, 5:15 p.m. ET
Channel: CBS
Viewers: 9.55 million

After surviving Siena in the first round, Duke again faced an upset scare in the second round against TCU. But Cameron Boozer and the Blue Devils prevailed to keep their season alive. An average of 9.55 million viewers tuned in for the thrilling round of 32 matchup.

Louisville vs. Michigan State (Round of 32)

Date/Time: March 21, 2:40 p.m. ET
Channel: CBS
Viewers: 8.47 million

As Michigan State secured a second straight trip to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in a decade, Louisville kept things fairly close. The Spartans’ 77-69 win averaged 8.47 million viewers on CBS in the afternoon window on Saturday, becoming the fourth-most watched game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament so far.

Miami (FL) vs. Purdue (Round of 32)

Date/Time: March 22, Noon ET
Channel: CBS
Viewers: 6.83 million

Miami (FL) didn’t make things easy on Purdue and took a 40-38 lead into halftime of the Round of 32. But the Boilermakers flipped the script in the second half as they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with the victory in front of 6.83 million viewers.

Saint Louis vs. Michigan (Round of 32)

Date/Time: March 21, Noon ET
Channel: CBS
Viewers: 6.25 million

Following a dominant performance against Georgia in the first round, Saint Louis made things interesting in the first half against Michigan. But in the second half, the Wolverines found their stridge as they came away with the 95-72 victory in front of 6.25 million viewers on average.

VCU vs. Illinois (Round of 32)

Date/Time: March 21, 8 p.m. ET
Channel: CBS
Viewers: 5.65 million

Fresh off an upset victory over North Carolina in the first round, VCU was hoping lightning would strike twice. But Illinois’ high-powered offense didn’t leave any room for doubt as the Fighting Illini secured another Sweet Sixteen trip with a 76-55 victory over the Rams in the Round of 32.

Siena vs. Duke (Round of 64)

Date/Time: March 19, 2:50 p.m. ET
Channel: CBS
Viewers: 5.43 million

Although Siena didn’t make a sub through the first 39 minutes, the Saints gave Duke all they could handle. The Blue Devils eventually got the 71-65 win to avoid an upset in the 1-seed vs. 16-seed game, led by another double-double from Cameron Boozer.

Iowa vs. Florida (Round of 32)

Date/Time: March 22, 7 p.m. ET
Channel: TBS
Viewers: 5.14 million

TBs’ most-watched game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament so far featured the biggest upset of March Madness through the first two rounds. Iowa defeated reigning national champion and 1-seeded Florida in the Round of 32, drawing a huge college basketball TV ratings win with 5.14 million viewers tuning in for the matchup.

Santa Clara vs. Kentucky (Round of 64)

Date/Time: March 20, Noon ET
Channel: CBS
Viewers: 4.999 million

Kentucky’s two 2026 NCAA Tournament games appeared in the Top 10 most-watched games of the first two rounds. Otega Oweh’s buzzer-beater sent the Round of 64 game against Santa Clara to overtime, and the Wildcats were able to secure the victory in the extra period and advance to the second round. Nearly 5 million people watched the thrilling matchup, which started Friday’s slate of games.

More most-watched 1st, 2nd-round games

Round of 64: TCU vs. Ohio State (March 19, Noon ET, CBS) – 4.62 million
Round of 64: Howard vs. Michigan (March 19, 7:15 p.m. ET, CBS) – 4.52 million
Round of 64: VCU vs. North Carolina (March 19, 6:40 p.m. ET, TNT) – 4.30 million
Round of 64: Iowa vs. Clemson (March 19, 6:40 p.m. ET, TNT) – 4.23 million
Round of 32: Tennessee vs. Virginia (March 22, 6 p.m. ET, TNT) – 4.00 million
Round of 32: UCLA vs. UConn (March 22, 9 p.m. ET, TNT) – 3.98 million
Round of 32: Vanderbilt vs. Nebraska (March 21, 8:50 p.m. ET, TNT) – 3.77 million
Round of 64: Saint Louis vs. Georgia (March 19, 10 p.m. ET, CBS) – 3.43 million
Round of 64: High Point vs. Arkansas (March 21, 9:40 p.m. ET, TBS) – 3.28 million
Round of 64: Tennessee State vs. Iowa State (March 20, 3 p.m. ET, CBS) – 3.12 million
Round of 64: UNI vs. St. John’s (March 20, 7:15 p.m. ET, CBS) – 3.01 million
Round of 64: Texas vs. BYU (March 19, 7:30 p.m. ET, TBS) – 2.97 million
Round of 64: Cal Baptist vs. Kansas (March 20, 10 p.m. ET, CBS) – 2.89 million

With the first two rounds in the books, it’s on to the Sweet Sixteen. Games get underway Thursday night as teams look to secure spots in their respective regional finals.