Hartford Doesn't Rate Among ESPN's Top 25 Ratings Markets ... Yet

I was admittedly quite miffed that Hartford-New Haven didn't make ESPN's Top 25 list of metered markets for college basketball telecasts. The area is currently tied for 28th with a .9 rating, according to ESPN's Rachel Siegal.

However, there's a very good reason: UConn hasn't had a game yet on ESPN's main channel. It's had six games on ESPN2 and some others on ESPNU, but none yet on ESPN. And the games on ESPN are the only ones that factor in the ratings, not ESPN2, ESPNU or the like.

So there's your answer. And with two big ESPN games coming up this week at Memphis on Thursday and against Louisville (for ESPN's College Gameday), those ratings are sure to go up. Last year, in fact, UConn was tied for 14th (with Memphis, Greenville, N.C., Cleveland, Norfolk and St. Louis) with a 1.3 rating. That was up from 2011-12, when Hartford-New Haven drew a 1.2 and was tied for 17th with Norfolk and St. Louis.

Anyway, here's this year's list:

ESPN Metered Market Ratings (through January 9)

Rank	Market	DMA Avg. Rating
1	Louisville	5.1
2	Greensboro	3.3
3	Memphis	3.0
4	Raleigh-Durham	2.7
5	Kansas City	2.5
6	Cincinnati	2.2
7	Columbus	2.2
	Dayton	2.2
9	Indianapolis	2.0
10	Knoxville	1.9
	Charlotte	1.9
12	Greenville	1.7
	Norfolk	1.7
14	Nashville	1.6
15	Detroit	1.4
	Richmond	1.4
17	New Orleans	1.3
	Birmingham	1.3
	Oklahoma City	1.3
20	Tulsa	1.2
21	Cleveland	1.1
	St. Louis	1.1
23	Chicago	1.0
	Las Vegas	1.0
	Albuquerque	1.0
	Baltimore	1.0
	Orlando	1.0
	Atlanta	1.0