Norman, Okla. — The first time Sherri Coale’s Oklahoma women’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament, a milestone was reached.

Ditto for a couple years later, when the Sooners reached the Final Four and the national championship game in 2002.

Another was reached last season, when OU became the first Big 12 team, men or women, to go 16-0 and follow by winning the conference tournament.

And now, before the 2006-07 season has even begun, yet another has been reached; not on the court, but arround it.

Sunday, the OU athletics ticket office announced that all reserved seats in the lower bowl at Lloyd Noble Center have been sold out for the Sooner women in the form of season tickets.

Last season, by averaging a program record 4,013 fans per game, the Sooners were among the best attended women’s basketball programs in the nation. But in selling out the lower bowl, the Sooners have already assured themselves a paid attendance of about 5,000 fans per game.

Further, it’s worth noting, the Sooner women, ever since establishing the program as a national power, have never suffered the phenomenon annually suffered by the Sooner men: vast numbers of season ticket holders who do not attend games.

The reason for fan interest likely has plenty to do with last season, when freshman center Courtney Paris played her way into first-team All-American status while leading the Sooners to an historic regular season, but also with the expectations of the coming season, as not only Paris returns, but the rest of the starting lineup: Erin Higgins, Chelsi Welch, Leah Rush and Britney Brown.

The annual preseason college basketball magazines have taken notice, with three of the most notable already coming out and only one leaving the Sooners out of the top five.

Lindy’s is the odd one out, and is ranking OU behind Maryland, North Carolina, Stanford, Connecticut and Tennessee.

However, both Street and Smith and Athlon have ranked the Sooners No. 3; Street and Smith behind Maryland and North Carolina, Athlon behind North Carolina and Maryland.

Clay Horning writes for The Norman (Okla.) Transcript.