Everything is bigger when Iowa star Caitlin Clark is involved. The billboards, the advertisements — and the ticket sales.
The 2024 Big Ten women's basketball tournament, slated to tip off on March 6, is sold out for the first time in its history, the conference announced Friday.
The #B1G Conference is excited to announce the 2024 TIAA @B1Gwbball Tournament is sold out for the first time in its history! pic.twitter.com/i4mA78d9Tx
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) February 23, 2024
The tournament, set for March 6-10 at Minneapolis’ Target Center, becomes the latest marker of the growing stature of the women's game. More than 109,000 fans are expected across the seven sold-out sessions, breaking the previous record of 47,923 fans set last year in the same city, The Athletic reported.
That growth has been spearheaded by Clark.
The Hawkeyes' senior supernova is on pace to break Pete Maravich's NCAA career scoring record — and she brings what has become known as the Caitlin Clark Effect with her wherever she goes. She has set attendance records or sold out 30 of 32 arenas at which she has played this season, per The Athletic.
Clark also has No. 4 Iowa on the cusp of another postseason run. The Hawkeyes made it to the national title game in 2023, though they lost to Angel Reese and LSU in the NCAA Tournament final.
But Clark isn't the only Big Ten talent making waves on the national stage. So too are Mackenzie Holmes (Indiana) and Serah Williams (Wisconsin), who both are likely to join Clark on the all-conference first team.
Nevertheless, Clark's impact on the popularity of the conference tourney is undeniable.
