TV ratings for the Final Four round of the NCAA basket ball tournament returned to earth — after a huge spike in audience for earlier coverage across four channels that delivered every game of the famous, month-long playoffs.

Both games on Saturday were tight — which always helps ratings. But the preliminary figures of the games on CBS were closer to ratings the semi-final games garnered in recent years.

The early game, which Butler won over VCU, was down about 3 percent from last year, with an audience of roughly 15 million viewers.

The later game, where Connecticut beat Kentucky, was up 3 percent over last year, with roughly 16 million viewers.

The new arrangement for early-round coverage made this the most-watched tournament since the mid-1990s, the networks said.