Despite the idea that women's college basketball fans could be "getting bored" with UConn's 98-game winning streak, the TV numbers "say otherwise," according to Paul Doyle of the HARTFORD COURANT. The streak actually is "bringing new viewers," as SNY ratings have "been up all season" in Hartford and N.Y. Through 13 telecasts on SNY, UConn is drawing a 5.7 local rating in the Hartford-New Haven market, up 17% over last season and up 31% over two years ago. Since UConn won its "record-setting 91st consecutive game on Jan. 14," SNY has averaged a 6.4 rating in the market -- with two of the last three games exceeding a 7.0. UConn-Cincinnati on Tuesday drew a 7.1 rating in Hartford and a 0.4 in N.Y. SNY reported that the game "out-rated 12 of 14 prime-time hours in Hartford-New Haven, including the entire lineups on ABC, NBC, Fox and CW." The same game in the N.Y. media market "beat the Nets-Hornets game on YES, the Kings-Lightning game on NBCSN, and four college basketball games on ESPN2 and ESPNU." UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma said, "Maybe because of the streak or because non-women's basketball people are talking about it. Maybe it's because [ESPN's] Jay Bilas tweeted something. I don't know. Maybe just more people are saying, 'Hey let me see what this is all about, the novelty of it, let me see'" (HARTFORD COURANT, 2/10).
