Sports

Big Ten announces women's basketball tournament sellout, expects 5-day attendance of 109,000

Maryland v Iowa
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates advancing to the championship after the game against the Maryland Terrapins in the semifinals of the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament at Target Center.
David Berding | Getty Images 2023

Caitlin Clark can claim another off-the-court feat: The Big Ten women's basketball tournament has sold out in advance for the first time in the history of the event.

The conference announced Friday that it expects a five-day attendance total of more than 109,000 at Target Center, where the previous record was set last year at 47,923. Tickets are only available on the secondary market for the tournament that runs March 6-10.

The proximity to Iowa — less than a 5-hour drive from campus — has made Minneapolis an ideal site for the Big Ten to capitalize on the presence of the superstar Clark, who set the NCAA women's career scoring record last week. The Hawkeyes won the conference tournament last year and beat Ohio State in front of a Big Ten tournament-record crowd of 9,505.