Vivid Seats projects pro-Iowa crowd for Elite Eight game versus LSU

According to Vivid Seats’ Fan Forecast, Iowa women’s basketball fans are projected to take up 64 percent of Monday night’s crowd at MVP Arena.

April 1, 2024

Ayrton Breckenridge

Iowa fans cheer during a NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen game between No. 1 Iowa and No. 5 Colorado at MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y., on Saturday, March 30, 2024. The Hawkeyes defeated the Buffaloes, 89-68.

ALBANY, N.Y. — It’s going to be another Hawkeye-heavy crowd at MVP Arena on Monday night.

According to Vivid Seats’ Fan Forecast, proprietary data that projects crowd outcomes, Iowa women’s basketball fans are projected to take up 64 percent of the crowd during the Elite Eight between the Hawkeyes and defending national champion LSU.

Vivid Seats projected Iowa fans to represent 54 percent of the crowd during the Sweet 16, and that prediction seemed to be pretty accurate with the number of fans who lined up on the stairs near the tunnel to see the Hawkeyes run out and hopefully get autographs.

“You look around and you see a lot of Hawk fans, a lot of black and gold, and it was loud in there,” Iowa guard Gabbie Marshall said on Friday after defeating Colorado. “We love those environments. We love it when it’s wild, crazy, energetic. We kind of feed off of it, and it gives us momentum.”

The average ticket price for Monday’s Elite Eight matchup has increased nine percent overnight from $140 to $152, per Vivid Seats. Fans are traveling over 200 miles on average to watch one of the most anticipated rematches in women’s college basketball history. The Tigers won their first national title with a 102-85 win over the Hawkeyes last season, and the story of the game became the so-called rivalry between stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

LSU’s average sold ticket price has increased 235 percent since Reese transferred to the team last season, while the sold price for an Iowa ticket has increased 244 percent since Clark arrived in Iowa City.

Eight of the top ten hottest women’s basketball tickets in the last decade have been for games featuring Clark and the Hawkeyes.

“It’s been cool to see our impact all across the country. I think that goes back to what we were able to do at the Final Four last year and the way people really loved our team,” Clark said on Sunday. “Our fans in Iowa City have always supported really well, but that’s been one of the coolest things is when we go on the road and arenas are packed and people are wearing Iowa gear and still supporting us in that same exact way.”

Hottest WBB tickets since 2014, per Vivid Seats

Iowa City (Iowa vs. Ohio State) 3/3/24 – $415
Championship (LSU vs. Iowa) 4/2/23 – $367
Championship (TBD) 4/7/24 – $329
Final Four (South Carolina vs. North Carolina State, TBD) 4/5/24 – $326
- The ticket vendor’s lowest ticket for the women’s Final Four is listed at $343, while the men’s is $233.
Iowa City (Iowa vs. West Virginia in Round of 32) 3/25/24 – $288
Final Four (LSU vs. Virginia Tech, South Carolina vs. Iowa) 3/31/23 – $280
Iowa City (Iowa vs. Michigan) 2/15/24 – $274
Iowa City (Iowa vs. Illinois) 2/25/24 – $259
Iowa City (Iowa vs. Holy Cross, West Virginia vs Princeton in Round of 64) 3/23/24 – $259
Iowa City (Iowa vs. Nebraska) 1/27/24 – $252

About the Contributors

Kenna Roering, Sports Editor

she/her/hers

Kenna Roering is The Daily Iowan's sports editor. She is a junior at the University of Iowa majoring in journalism with a minor in sports and recreation management. Kenna previously worked as a sports reporter for men's wrestling and volleyball and was the summer sports editor in 2023. This is her second year with the DI.

Ayrton Breckenridge, Managing Visuals Editor

(he/him/his)

Ayrton Breckenridge is the Managing Visuals Editor at The Daily Iowan. He is a senior at the University of Iowa majoring in journalism and cinema. This is his fourth year working for the DI.