MINNEAPOLIS — Erin Roberts was up before the sun, before the city of Minneapolis opened its doors for the day.

The Iowa women’s basketball season-ticket holder had a lofty goal to be the first person in line for general admission seats for the Hawkeyes’ Big Ten tournament semifinal against Michigan at 4:30 p.m. — the second of two games Saturday. So, at 4:45 a.m., she was outside the city’s skyway doors that led to the Target Center. The skyways don’t open until 5 a.m.  It was the second day in a row Roberts got to the arena before dawn.

“We wanted to get close seats,” Roberts said.

Reserved seats for the Big Ten tournament, which were already sparse, sold out almost immediately — Roberts tried to get those reserved tickets in October, but didn’t get there quick enough. Most of the seats, including the entire 200 level and top parts of the 100 level, are general admission, leading to lengthy lines to see Iowa and its star senior Caitlin Clark play in the conference tournament for the last time.

Clark, the presumed No. 1 pick to the Indiana Fever, announced her intentions to enter the 2024 WNBA draft on Feb. 29. Clark is the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, surpassing Kelsey Plum and Pete Maravich’s scoring marks, and is well on her way to a second straight consensus national player of the year honor.

Clark technically had one more year of college eligibility because of COVID-19. While Roberts held out hope she would return, she knew it was futile.

“Once she broke all the records, I was like, ‘There is no reason why she should stay,’” Roberts said. “I mean, there really isn't anything, other than just fans, but as far as her in her career, I think she's done everything as a college athlete that she can, and it's time to move on.”

Roberts, who is from Iowa City, is prepared for Clark’s visits to Minnesota as a pro — she already bought Lynx season tickets solely for the Fever’s two visits this summer on July 14 and Aug. 24.

The cheapest Lynx season tickets are currently listed at $431 on their website. Single-game tickets are not available through the Lynx yet, but season-tickets listed for Stubhub resale for the Fever game in July are going for at least $170 — a 62% increase from the average, according to the site.

Heather Ritzema, a lifelong Iowa fan who is from St. Cloud, Minn., saw the demand, and the Lynx’s clever marketing scheme, firsthand while waiting in the skyways for the doors to open Friday.

“There was a Minnesota Lynx person walking down the rows yesterday, like, ‘Hey, get tickets for when the Fever come to play,’ and she's not even on the team yet,” Ritzema said. “People were talking about that yesterday, how even ticket sales for the Fever have just gone crazy. And people were trying to get tickets for that game, like, oh my goodness.”

Ritzema, 44, grew up in Iowa, and she brought her Hawkeyes fandom to the Gopher state. She had never seen Clark play in-person, so she and her friend, Renee Van Kooten, who is from Iowa, bought general admission tickets to the tournament about a month ago.

“I've been watching Caitlin on TV, and I've never actually got to see her play in-person,” Ritzema said. “So I was like, ‘It's an hour away from my house. I gotta get tickets.’”

“I was surprised there were still tickets,” Van Kooten added.

On Friday afternoon, Ritzema and Van Kooten, 46, waited four hours in the skyways to try and get good seats for Iowa’s 6:30 game. That entire time, they either had to stand or sit on the ground.

So, on Saturday, they came prepared with lawn chairs, books and snacks. They got in line at about 8:30 a.m., waiting three hours until doors opened at 11:30. The skyway they were waiting in was connected to a parking garage, and their car was just outside.

“I was like, this way we can at least be comfortable,” Rtizema said.

Ritzema tried to get tickets to Iowa’s game against Minnesota at The Barn on Feb. 28, she said, but those were way out of her price range. General admission to all sessions of the Big Ten tournament was about $75, coming out to about $125 with taxes and fees.

Tim Huth, 76, and his wife, Patty, paid the same price for all-session tickets this weekend. The couple from Bettendorf, Iowa, are Iowa season-ticket holders, and they’re considering coming to watch Clark when she turns pro — for a reasonable price, that is.

“I would say, I would for sure pay 100 bucks to go for one game,” said Tim Huth, a University of Iowa grad.

They got in line at about 9:30 on Saturday morning, waiting in the Target Center’s atrium at one of 10 entrance doors. Like everyone else, they were hoping to score good seats for the semifinal against Michigan.

“Obviously, I like the way Caitlin plays,” Tim said. “I mean, she's just awesome, the way she can pass, the way she can shoot and shoot deep. And she's quick, you know, she's got very good moves.”

Lines of Iowa fans stretched from all entrances of the Target Center on Saturday morning — they doubled back in the skyways, crowded the atriums, and some even stood outside in the brisk, 25-degree Minneapolis weather.

And assuming Clark comes to the Fever this summer, Iowa fans will come in droves —  those lines would be stretching all around Gainbridge Fieldhouse and into downtown Indianapolis.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Caitlin Clark draws crowd at Big Ten tournament, will do same for Fever