Duke-Butler nailbiter delivers boffo ratings

FROM KEITH GROLLER

It was one of the busiest sports days of this, or any year, especially around here with the McNabb trade still garnering a lion's share of the conversation. But at the end of it, lots of folks settled down in front of their TV sets to watch a cliffhanger of a national championship basketball game.

Preliminary numbers are in and the ratings for Monday's Butler-Duke title game were phemonenal. As we've said before, the best thing that could have happened for CBS was to have Duke around on the final weekend of the tournament. The Blue Devils, as the most polarizing program in college hoops, are ratings gold

Here's what is being reported across the internet:

Duke's 61-59 win over Butler drew a massive 16.0/25 overnight rating on CBS Monday night, up 34% from North Carolina/Michigan St. last year (11.9/19), up 25% from Kansas/Memphis in 2008 (12.8/20), and up 18% from Florida/Ohio St. in '07 (13.6/22).

Overnight ratings peaked at a 20.3/35 from 11:30-11:45 PM ET.

The 16.0 overnight is tied as the highest for the Men's Basketball National Championship Game since Connecticut/Duke in '99 (16.9/25).

For perspective, Duke/Butler drew a higher overnight than every Major League Baseball game since 2004 (BOS/STL Game 4, 19.7/29) and every NBA game since 2002 (LAL/SAC Game 7, 16.9/27).

Excluding the NFL, the BCS National Championship Game and the Olympics, the 16.0 overnight for Duke/Butler is the highest for any sporting event since Game 4 of the 2004 World Series.

FROM KEITH GROLLER