Fast National ratings for Thursday, March 23, 2006

The Sweet 16 of the NCAA basketball tournament lived up to its name for CBS Thursday, helping the network to an overall ratings victory.

CBS won a closely contested race for the night by averaging an 8.2 rating/13 share (which may change some due to its live broadcast) for the evening. ABC finished second at 7.3/12, with NBC right behind at 7.0/11. FOX, 3.4/5, was a fairly distant fourth. The WB's 2.0/3 edged out UPN's 1.8/3 for fifth.

NBC snagged the top spot among adults 18-49 with a 4.7 rating. ABC, 4.4, finished second in the demographic, just ahead of CBS, 4.3. FOX averaged 2.4, and UPN and The WB tied at 1.2.

The NCAA tournament posted an 8.5/14 at 8 p.m., with most of the country watching LSU take on top-ranked Duke. ABC took second with "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition -- After the Storm," which debuted with a 7.0/11. "Will & Grace," 6.0/10, and a "My Name Is Earl" rerun, 5.5/9, put NBC in third. FOX was fourth with "That '70s Show" and "The Loop." UPN's "Everybody Hates Chris," 2.5/4, and "Love, Inc.," 1.6/3, tied for fifth with a "Smallville" rerun on The WB.

CBS' hoops coverage peaked at 9 p.m. with a 9.7/15 as LSU scored the upset over Duke. ABC stayed in second with "American Inventor," 8.0/12. NBC went with a new "Earl," 6.8/10, and a repeat of "The Office," 5.4/8. "The O.C." posted a 3.6/6 for FOX. The WB moved into fifth with a "Supernatural" repeat, beating "Eve" and "Cuts" on UPN.

NBC took the lead at 10 p.m. with "ER," 9.1/15. "Primetime" scored a better-than-average 7.0/12 for ABC, while CBS' basketball coverage dipped to 6.4/11.

Ratings information is taken from fast national data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, especially in the case of live telecasts.