TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The University of Arizona men's basketball team is no longer in the NCAA tournament, but T-shirt sales at the Campus Store have not dropped off as much as expected.
"Everybody was excited and wanting product, and we were trying to keep up with it, and we still are. So, it's been a really exciting couple of weeks," said Cori Rhodes, sales manager at the UA Campus Store.
The team's deep run in March Madness brought excitement and a surge in merchandise sales. Rhodes said demand quickly exceeded expectations, selling more shirts than ever before.
"So far, we've sold over 30,000 tees," Rhodes said.
In previous years, she said that number was closer to the hundreds. But as the team advanced this year, fans did not wait long to grab their tees, which are priced at about $35 each.
"As soon as there has been a win, we have been selling in minutes," Rhodes said.
At the peak of the tournament, demand reached thousands of shirts per day both in stores and online. The demand has continued even after the Wildcats lost 91-73 against Michigan in the Final Four on April 4, 2026.
"We still have a lot of orders coming in every day. We still have several 100 each day coming through, that hasn't stopped," Rhodes said.
Part of the ongoing demand, Rhodes said, comes from fans who waited to buy merchandise until the team made it further in the tournament.
"There are some people that didn't buy shirts until they went to the Elite Eight. You know, there are some people that didn't buy shirts until they went to the Final Four. And so, those are those people, I think, also that are still coming back now and saying, okay, now I want these shirts," Rhodes said.
While sales will eventually go down, Wildcat pride does not end at the buzzer. Rhodes noted that the store still has product available for fans who feel they missed out, and purchases support the school.
"All the money that comes through the campus store goes back to the university. So it truly is for the campus. It provides for school clubs, scholarships, and also athletics. So it really does still continue to go back and provide for the university," Rhodes said.
The Campus Store is located at 1209 E. University Blvd. Find the store hours here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
