The calendar has flipped to February, meaning the sprint toward March Madness is well underway. FOX’s family of networks had some big college basketball matchups in Week 13, and FS1 was the big TV ratings winner.
Sunday’s game between Illinois and Nebraska averaged 1.366 million viewers, FOX announced Tuesday. That made it the most-watched college basketball game ever on FS1, flying past the previous high-water mark of 954,000 in 2022 when Purdue faced Indiana.
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FOX started the weekend in grand fashion with a storyline-filled rivalry game between Michigan and Michigan State. That showdown averaged 2.764 million viewers to become the fourth-most watched game of the year, according to data compiled by On3. It’s also FOX’s most-watched game on record for the network’s College Basketball Friday slate.
Michigan-Michigan State is also the fifth-most watched men’s college basketball game to ever air on FOX and the network’s third-most watched game of the 2025-26 season. Michigan State’s victory over North Carolina leads the charge by a wide margin, averaging 6.5 million viewers on Black Friday thanks to an NFL lead-in. The Jan. 10 game between Maryland and UCLA also averaged 2.9 million viewers as it, too, followed an NFL game.
FOX is in the midst of a huge season of college basketball, with TV ratings on the rise. The network saw a 71% viewership increase from last season as of Jan. 15, according to Sports Business Journal’s Austin Karp. Of course, it’s important to note this is the first college basketball season under Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel measuring, which debuted in September 2025.
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More on FOX’s slate of men’s college basketball
Sunday’s game between Illinois and Nebraska gave FS1 a Top-10 showdown as the two teams squared off in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers took a 39-33 lead into halftime, but the Fighting Illini flipped the script in the second half en route to the 78-69 victory.
Freshman Keaton Wagler stayed red-hot with a team-high 28 points while Jake Davis added 13 points. Illinois also did a good job getting to the free throw line, going 21 of 26 from the stripe compared to Nebraska’s 4-of-6 showing.
That matchup capped off a weekend which began in East Lansing with a now-iconic photo of Dusty May in front of the Michigan State student section. Michigan looked like it would be in full control of the game through the first half, but Michigan State rallied back to get close after halftime. However, the Wolverines eventually pulled away for the 83-71 win.
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Yaxel Lendeborg led the Wolverines with 26 points and 12 rebounds, and Elliot Cadeau had a big game, as well. He had 17 points to go with six assists while making big-time plays throughout the rivalry affair.
