Final Four sets all-time attendance record while semifinals set cable viewership record

Overall, the tournament drew 739,189. Regional sites filled 96 percent of seats, the First Four games were filled to 94 percent of capacity and second and third round sites were 91 percent full.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Final Four was a record-breaker.

Dallas set a new weekend attendance mark with 158,682 attending the three NCAA tournament games, 9,006 more than last year in Atlanta. Monday’s title game drew a record 79,238, while Saturday’s semifinals drew a record 79,444.

Overall, the tournament drew 739,189. Regional sites filled 96 percent of seats, the First Four games were filled to 94 percent of capacity and second and third round sites were 91 percent full.

The two semifinals also were the most-watched college basketball games in cable history. The Kentucky-Wisconsin grossed 16.3 million viewers, while the Connecticut-Florida game drew 11.7 million viewers. The title game drew 21 million viewers. The NCAA also saw a 76 percent increase in live streams for the two semifinal games, too.