Axios

The women's national championship game between UConn and South Carolina averaged 8.6 million viewers and peaked at 9.9 million on Sunday according to data from ESPN on Tuesday.

Why it matters: Viewership was down from last year's matchup (18.9 million) featuring Caitlin Clark, but it still set records.

Ryan Smith, the billionaire owner of the NBA's Utah Jazz and NHL's Utah Hockey Club, tells Axios that he's forming a $1 billion venture capital fund with longtime Accel partner Ryan Sweeney.

The big picture: The launch comes as the worlds of tech, business, and sports are colliding.

The Houston Cougars fell to the Florida Gators in Monday's NCAA men's basketball championship game.

Why it matters: The loss was the Coogs' first national championship try since 1984 and signifies the team's growth in the last decade.

TV ratings and ticket sales indicate "Cinderella" teams aren't necessary for a buzzworthy March Madness.

The big picture: Fans enjoy watching the best teams play.

Even though the Texas men's team crashed out early from the NCAA tournament, the university will still reap benefits because it belongs to the basketball-strong SEC conference.

What's happening: With college basketball wealth driven by TV contracts, the SEC is projected to receive a $70 million payout after March Madness.

The AI chatbots we invited into our long-running Axios AI+ women's bracket challenge this year were no match for most of the competitors among Axios readers and staff.

State of play: Not only did the AI chatbots have trouble filling out their March Madness brackets, they ended up finishing below most of the human pickers, at least for the women's tournament, which wrapped up Sunday.