The Highest Rated NCAA Game of All Time
As company president, Mike Loftus has driven activities at MLE Merchandising and Sign Solutions, Inc., in Elmhurst, IL, a western suburb of Chicago, since 2002. Outside of his work at MLE, Mike Loftus enjoys following a variety of sports, including the March Madness college basketball tournament. A 68-team, single-elimination, collegiate basketball tournament, March Madness was established in 1939. The tournament has developed into one of the most popular sporting events in the United States, with many fans filling out brackets in hopes of predicting the tournament winner. Despite the continued success of the event, no game has surpassed the popularity of the 1979 final between Michigan State and Indiana State. Aired on NBC, the 1979 championship game received a 24.1 rating, drawing more than 35 million viewers. By comparison, the 2019 final between Virginia and Texas Tech received an 11.6 rating, with 19.63 million viewers on CBS. The driving forces behind the 1979 game’s popularity were the talents of opposing players Larry Bird, of Indiana State, and Michigan's Magic Johnson. Michigan won 75-64, led by Johnson’s 24 points. The game served as a preview of the professional rivalry the two would have, highlighted by 19 games in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals. Other highly rated March Madness games include Georgetown and Villanova in 1985, Duke against Michigan in 1992, and North Carolina State versus Houston in 1983, all of which averaged more than a 22 rating.
