• Hollywood Reporter via Yahoo, Wednesday, April 2, 2008 11:30 AM

CBS Sports is hoping that having the top four seeds in the NCAA's Final Four for the first time will bring it a ratings bonanza this weekend. And their desire is all the more urgent as March Madness ratings were off to a sluggish start, falling 10% in the early rounds on the back of some big blowouts. And through the first 60 games, the tournament's ratings are off 7%, compared with a year ago.

CBS News/Sports president Sean McManus says that while Cinderella teams are good in the early rounds, the best result is having the top contenders eventually playing for all the marbles. And North Carolina, Memphis, UCLA and Kansas would seem to qualify.

"Storied basketball traditions and close games: It's a pretty unbeatable formula," says McManus. "We've got a lot of momentum coming into Saturday."

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