The Iowa and Iowa State women’s basketball teams have seen their viewership decline in recent weeks, but both remain among the most-watched women’s teams nationally.
TV ratings company Nielsen, on Feb. 13, revealed the top 10 most-watched men’s and women’s basketball programs through Feb. 8 during the 2025-26 college basketball season. Here’s where Iowa and Iowa State landed.
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Iowa, Iowa State women’s basketball TV ratings 2026
From Nov. 2025 through Feb. 8, here are the top 10 most-watched women’s basketball teams.
Iowa State had the largest decline from the last Nielsen ratings report released on Jan. 26, which had the Cyclones as the No. 1 most-watched women’s basketball team from Nov. 2025 through Jan. 18.
Iowa dropped from second to third in Nielsen’s Jan. 26 report. The biggest risers from the Jan. 26 report include South Carolina, which rose from No. 9 to No. 4, and Ohio State, which debuted at No. 1.
Did Iowa, Iowa State’s recent up-and-down performances lead to a drop in ratings?
Iowa State (20-6) matched the best start in school history with 14 straight wins to begin the 2025-26 campaign. Paired with the star power of Audi Crooks and the state of Iowa’s proven love for women’s basketball, it might have made the Cyclones must-watch TV during the first half of the season.
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But due to injuries to players like Addy Brown, the Cyclones struggled through a five-game losing streak to start 2026. Head coach Bill Fennelly’s squad has bounced back since then, going 6-2 in games from Jan. 18 to Feb. 15.
More: Addy Brown injury update, good news for Iowa State women’s basketball
Iowa (19-5) started the season 18-2 before going 4-3 from Jan. 18 to Feb. 11.
SEC teams like Tennessee and Oklahoma also received a viewership boost from having nationally televised games in February, which may have hurt Iowa and ISU’s total ratings. The Tennessee-South Carolina matchup on Feb. 8 drew 1.5 million viewers, and the Oklahoma-Texas game on Feb. 1 drew 1.1 million viewers, according to ESPN.
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The Cy-Hawk game between Iowa and Iowa State on Dec. 10 drew 1 million viewers.
Most-watched men’s college basketball programs of 2025-26
Duke Blue Devils guard Dame Sarr (7) during the game against Louisville during ACC play January 6, 2026.
Duke and Michigan State remain the most-watched men’s teams. However, the Blue Devils and Spartans switched spots from the last Nielsen report released on Jan. 26. Three Big Ten schools — Michigan, Purdue and Illinois — are new to the list, replacing three other Big Ten schools: UCLA, Indiana and Wisconsin.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State no longer top-watched women’s basketball team. See ratings
