LSU basketball star Angel Reese was candid about the growing support that she's seeing for Women's basketball. In a feature written by ESPN.com writer Michael Voepel, Reese spoke about her desire to win over new fans for the sport.

“Women are changing the game,” she said. “I mean, 9.9 million people watched the [national championship] game. The feedback we've gotten, men and women reach out to us, celebrities, NBA players. Seeing we have so many people in our corner, I think that helps.”

Reese is correct, the interest in Women's basketball is growing tremendously. According to data reported by SportsProMedia, The viewership of the 2023 NCAA women's basketball championship featuring Reese and LSU surpassed previous records, with an impressive 4.9 million viewers, exceeding last year's average and the previous record set in 2002. The average audience for the title game also saw a significant increase of 103% year-over-year (YoY) and had a peak viewership of 12.6 million across all Disney-owned platforms. This final set a new record for the highest audience ever for a men's or women's college sports event on the ESPN+ subscription streaming service.

Prior to the title game, the two ‘Final Four' matchups became the most-viewed basketball games on ESPN+. The Women's March Madness semi-finals had an average of 4.5 million viewers on ESPN's linear network. Iowa's ‘Final Four' win over South Carolina averaged 5.5 million viewers, reaching a peak of 6.6 million. Additionally, an average of 3.4 million viewers tuned in to watch LSU's victory over Virginia Tech, peaking at 5 million.

As Angel Reese and LSU prepare to defend their national championship this season, NCAA Women's basketball is sure to hit even more ratings highs.