The opening day of the 2026 NCAA Tournament didn’t just deliver drama-it delivered history. And an HBCU program played a key role in driving it. According to Nielsen data, first-round coverage across CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV averaged 9.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched opening day in tournament history. That figure marked a 6% increase from 2025 and continued a steady rise in March Madness viewership. Within those record numbers sits a defining storyline: Howard University’s early surge against Michigan helped fuel one of the most-watched windows the tournament has ever seen. Howard’s First-Half Push Helped Move the Needle The primetime
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