South Carolina is once again at the top of the women’s college basketball mountain, achieving the first perfect season in program history Sunday afternoon!

Heading into the title game, the Gamecocks were looking to avenge last season’s loss to Iowa and Caitlin Clark in the Final Four. Last year, Clark delivered 41 points as Iowa stopped a 36-0 South Carolina squad short of the national championship.

This time around, South Carolina was able to deliver with a deep and talented group. The Gamecocks rode a dominant bench and big-time performances from Kamilla Cardoso and Tessa Johnson in the win.

The win gives Dawn Staley her 3rd national title, elevating her status into the ranks of the true coaching legends of college basketball. The Gamecocks have 2 titles in the past 3 seasons and are currently riding a streak of 4 straight Final Fours. South Carolina is 109-3 overall the past 3 seasons.

In the process, South Carolina and Iowa delivered a huge ratings number as women’s college basketball continues its ascension this postseason. According to ESPN, the network’s broadcast peaked at an eye-popping 24 million viewers and averaged and even more unfathomable 18.7 million viewers.

It goes down as the most-watched women’s college basketball game on record. It is also the most-watched basketball game for ESPN since 2019 across all levels, including the NBA and men’s college basketball, and is the most-watched sporting event since 2019 (excluding football and the Olympics).

It’s an 89% increase in viewership from last year’s title game between Iowa and LSU, and it’s a 285% increase from the two most recent women’s national championships.

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The Caitlin Clark effect

While South Carolina’s pursuit of history was a major storyline, facing off with Clark in her final college game also set a storybook scene for women’s basketball. And, to open the game, Clark delivered with 18 points in an electric first quarter. (She would finish the game with 30 points, but the depth of defenders South Carolina threw at her eventually wore down the Hawkeyes.)

Clark also finishes her time in college with 3 straight games involving massive ratings numbers. During an Elite 8 win in Iowa’s title game rematch vs. LSU, the broadcast averaged 12.3 million viewers as the most-watched college basketball game ever on ESPN platforms. Then, in the Final Four, Iowa and UConn shattered that number with Clark’s showdown vs. Paige Bueckers averaging 14.2 million viewers with a peak of 17 million.

And, to those who don’t want to believe the numbers have a lot to do with Clark’s presence on the court, believe Dawn Staley herself. During Sunday’s trophy presentation, she directed a portion of her comments directly at Clark in a classy gesture.

“I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport,” Staley said. “She carried a heavy load for our sport. And it’s not going to stop here on the collegiate tour… So Caitlin Clark, if you’re out there, you are one of the GOATs of our game and we appreciate you.”

Clark was quick to recognize that number, sharing a brief post on social media after wrapping up her career with the Hawkeyes:

Asked about the growth of women’s basketball after the title game, Clark predicted the sport will continue to grow moving forward. She pointed to the viewership numbers and the sport finding a way to thrive when given an opportunity.

“When I think about women’s basketball going forward, obviously it’s just going to continue to grow, whether it’s at the WNBA level, whether it’s at the college level. Everybody sees it. Everybody knows,” said Clark. “Everybody sees the viewership numbers.

“When you’re given an opportunity, women’s sports just kind of thrives. I think that’s been the coolest thing for me on this journey, we started our season playing in front of 55,000 people in Kinnick Stadium. And now we’re ending it playing in probably 15 million people or more on TV. It just continues to get better and better and better. That’s never going to stop.”

While Clark moves on to the WNBA, the Gamecocks continue to rule the sport with Staley’s program beginning to reach dynasty status. We’ll see what follows in the 2024-25 season, but South Carolina and Iowa combined to deliver a truly defining moment for the sport in Sunday’s conclusion.