SOUTH BEND -- Coach Muffet McGraw's Notre Dame women's basketball team is a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. And, as it turns out, the
Irish fans were No. 1 after the first round.
The crowd that showed up at Purcell Pavilion for Sunday's two games,
which included Cal's 84-74 victory against Iowa, was the top
attendance figure from the 16 first-round sites.
"We had a great crowd," McGraw said after the Irish bounced Liberty
from the tournament, 74-43. "Thank you to all of our fans. What a
great turnout. They've supported us all year long. When we heard the
noise when we came out to be introduced, it was really exciting."
A total of 6,777 fans attended Sunday's games at Purcell Pavilion. The
only other site to draw more than 6,000 fans was Texas A&M, which drew
6,407.
Chapel Hill, N.C., drew the fewest fans. With the hometown Tar Heels
not earning a bid to the tournament, only 1,139 fans attended
first-round games there. Florida State, in the same situation, only
attracted 1,227.
Purdue drew the worst of any site with a home team on the court. Only
2,825 fans attended the first-round games in West Lafayette, Ind.
Bridgeport, Conn., featuring mighty Connecticut, drew 4,563 fans, and
Irish fans were No. 1 after the first round.
The crowd that showed up at Purcell Pavilion for Sunday's two games,
which included Cal's 84-74 victory against Iowa, was the top
attendance figure from the 16 first-round sites.
"We had a great crowd," McGraw said after the Irish bounced Liberty
from the tournament, 74-43. "Thank you to all of our fans. What a
great turnout. They've supported us all year long. When we heard the
noise when we came out to be introduced, it was really exciting."
A total of 6,777 fans attended Sunday's games at Purcell Pavilion. The
only other site to draw more than 6,000 fans was Texas A&M, which drew
6,407.
Chapel Hill, N.C., drew the fewest fans. With the hometown Tar Heels
not earning a bid to the tournament, only 1,139 fans attended
first-round games there. Florida State, in the same situation, only
attracted 1,227.
Purdue drew the worst of any site with a home team on the court. Only
2,825 fans attended the first-round games in West Lafayette, Ind.
Bridgeport, Conn., featuring mighty Connecticut, drew 4,563 fans, and
