The NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament sent major records from television viewership to attendance. But the regular season enjoyed popularity, too.
Both South Carolina and Iowa welcomed more than 200,000 fans to home games during the 2022-23 season, according to NCAA data. It’s a significant increase over the 2019-20 season (the last comparable non-COVID year) when both had about 180,000.
The 2021-22 champions, the Gamecocks, and the 2022-23 runners-up, the Hawkeyes, ranked first and second, respectively, in overall attendance last season. Here’s the full rundown:
- South Carolina Gamecocks, 220,010
- Iowa Hawkeyes, 200,569
- UConn Huskies, 174,333
- Tennessee Vols, 163,003
- LSU Tigers, 148,468
The numbers are particularly impressive given that none of the teams have stadium capacities over 22,000. Tennessee has the most, with 21,678 seats.
But the Gamecocks only have 18,000, and the Hawkeyes only have 15,056. The Huskies and Tigers have even fewer, with 10,167 and 13,215, respectively.
The skyrocketing popularity of women’s basketball could cause these numbers to continue climbing next season.
The Hawkeyes, for example, saw such an increase in season ticket demand that they couldn’t accommodate sales — pausing them just a few days after star Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes lost to the Tigers in the title game.
LSU, which has built a super-team for 2023-24 with the additions of Aneesha Morrow and Hailey Van Lith in a quest to win another title, will undoubtedly draw more crowds than last year.
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