Las Vegas Aces WNBA team gets bigger venue for game Caitlin Clark is anticipated to play in
The Las Vegas Aces WNBA team has moved an upcoming game against the Indiana Fever to a bigger arena. The Fever just happens to have the first pick in the WNBA draft, and they are expected to choose superstar Caitlin Clark, who has helped draw more viewers than ever to women's college basketball.
She's expected to do the same for the WNBA. The draft takes place on April 15 and if Clark goes with the Fever, her first game in the league is expected to be May 14 against the Connecticut Sun.
The Aces already have an avid fan base and sold out five games ahead of the season's start. The team announced the change of venue for its July 2 game against the Fever on social media on Saturday.
The team usually plays at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay, a 12,000-seat complex, but its July 2 game against the Fever will be held at T-Mobile Arena, which can hold 18,000 basketball fans.
For those who have already purchased tickets, their seats will be reassigned to a comparable one at the T-Mobile arena and refunds are available for those who no longer want to attend, the team said on social media.
Clark, who played with the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, led the team to the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship this year. They lost against the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, but had an extremely impressive season, selling out 30 of their 32 games.
The tournament's Final Four game with Iowa and UConn attracted 14.2 million viewers – becoming the most-watched basketball game for ESPN, CBS Sports reports.
Clark isn't the only reason more people than ever tuned in to watch women's basketball this season, but her accomplishments this year likely helped ignite fans' interest.
Last month, the point guard broke two major records. She passed Steph Curry's record for NCAA Division I 3-pointers in a season by a man or woman, finishing with 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Clark also passed "Pistol" Pete Maravich's record for NCAA scoring leader, surpassing his 3,667 points with 3,685 points.
CBS Sports has Clark being drafted by Indiana Fever in its mock draft and it predicts another big-name women's basketball, LSU's Angel Reese, will go to the Minnesota Lynx.
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- University of Iowa
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Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.
