TUCSON, Az. — Since the WNIT tipped off back on March 21, wildcat fever has been building.Die-hard Cat supporters and newcomers are falling in love with this women's team all over again. From custom made limited edition t-shirts, to fans buying thousands of tickets, the U of A women's team is making a new name for itself.
"It means it's the real deal," said Athletic Director Dave Heeke. "It means that people have love for Arizona and athletics, for this university and especially for this exciting basketball program."
Based off revenue and fan interest the team hosted its fifth WNIT game Wednesday night, and a program record 10,135 tickets were sold.
"Having a big crowd and an incredible atmosphere in championship post season basketball is important," Heeke explained. "It's important to the tournament promoters and we've certainly done that in Tucson and in the McKale Center, it's the best atmosphere right now in women's college basketball."
Raising a new banner isn't the only motivation for the team, this years postseason run is inspiring young girls to have new role models to look up to.
10 year old Emery Unwin says the team is making noise for all the women in Arizona. She's even learning a few pointers while in the stands. "We have a basketball court at my house so i kinda see what they do and i get the idea and i try it at my house."
The team will have another chance to inspire on Satuday when they take on the Northwestern Wildcats in the WNIT Championship game.
