Star Power Boosts NCAA Tournament Ratings

The weekend March Madness games may have been disappointing for fans of Tobacco Road's college basketball teams. But for the networks it was a ratings bonanza.

Michigan State's thrilling NCAA Tournament victory over Duke drew a 10.5 percent television rating. That's the highest for a late Sunday regional final in over a decade.

Interest in the Blue Devils has been propelled this year by freshman sensation Zion Williamson. He's now expected to go pro and is a likely number one NBA draft pick.

Neilsen ratings for the entire tournament are up 8 percent over last year, when brackets across the country were upended by a slew of major upsets.

Ratings represent the percentage of U.S. television households tuned into a program.

The Final Four begins Saturday. With Duke's loss to Michigan State and North Carolina's loss to Auburn, Virginia is the ACC's last remaining team.