by Nathan Yasis
Reigning WNBA champions, the Las Vegas Aces are bracing themselves for what could be a surge of excitement and Caitlin Clark mania in their matchup against the Indiana Fever.
The Aces revealed that their matchup against the Fever on July 2 will be relocated from Michelob Ultra Arena to the bigger T-Mobile Arena, situated a mile away on the Strip, via Front Office Sports.
Caitlin Clark mania
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports© Provided by ClutchPoints
Last year’s champs will take on Caitlin Clark, expected to be the top pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft, along with Aliyah Boston, the Fever’s current franchise player and reigning Rookie of the Year.
Shortly after declaring for the draft, the Fever, who have the first pick for the second consecutive year, subtly hinted at Clark’s eventual destination.
The Iowa superstar, known for breaking numerous all-time NCAA scoring records during her four-year tenure with the Hawkeyes, has significantly boosted interest in women’s college basketball, both in live attendance and television viewership. Aces spokesperson John “Giggy” Maxwell understands that more eyes are going to be on the matchup with Clark in town, via LVSportsBiz.com inquired about the venue change.
“T-Mobile is obviously a larger venue (17,000-plus, compared to 10,000-plus at Michelob ULTRA Arena),” Maxwell said. “We sold out five of our 20 home games as of late yesterday, three days after putting single game tickets on sale,”
“Given the demand for this game, and given that T-Mobile was available, the decision was made to move the game to allow as many fans as possible to attend,” Maxwell continued.
The Las Vegas Aces two homes
The Aces, who moved to Las Vegas from San Antonio in 2018, have made the 12,000-seat Michelob Ultra Arena their home. They recently shared on social media that five games in the upcoming season, including the game against the Fever, have already sold out.
Las Vegas will play their second game at T-Mobile Arena this season when they face the Indiana Fever, following their earlier announcement of a game against the Chicago Sky also scheduled at T-Mobile Arena as part of their 2024 home schedule, which comprises 20 out of 40 total games.
The Aces announced that tickets for the July 2 game against the Fever, which will now have increased capacity, will be available for sale starting April 10 at 10 a.m.
The T-Mobile Arena, inaugurated in 2016, is also located in Las Vegas and serves as the home arena for the Stanley Cup-winning Golden Knights. It can accommodate up to 17,500 fans for hockey and 18,000 for basketball games, with a maximum capacity of 20,000 during boxing and UFC events.
Clark and her Iowa women’s basketball teammates aim to extend their successful run in the Women’s Final Four this weekend as they go up against UConn and their star player, Paige Bueckers. Once she joins the WNBA, the Aces will be waiting.
Originally appeared first on ClutchPoints.