The Caitlin Clark effect -- Big Ten women's tournament sold out

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 now 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.



(AP Photo Charlie Niebergall)