The "dancing" shoes are on display at UW-Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The "dancing" shoes -- and shirts and jackets and more -- are on display at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus! That's because the school's men's basketball team pulled off an impressive run to a Horizon League championship! Now, parts of the campus are looking to capitalize on that success.

Richard Karlinsky buys merchandise for the UWM Bookstore. He said the team's surprising success sent him scrambling Tuesday night -- to design and order a shipment of 144 very special shirts.

"It'll, hopefully, be here, at 8 o'clock, tomorrow morning--when we open," said Karlinsky.

The basketball team's success also sports some substance.

"The exposure that we're going to get, with this game, is something that we can't even hire somebody to provide us," said Michael Laliberte, UWM's Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs.

Laliberte says the institution has already started maximizing the impact of any additional attention -- both athletically and academically.

"We sent out an invitation--to every student in the country, who's been accepted--inviting them to watch the game--make sure your game, cheer-on the Panthers, and really getting them excited about--this is what it's like to be a member of our community," said Laliberte.

Laliberte said a couple of prospective UWM students who attended Tuesday night's championship in Dayton, Ohio got caught up in the emotion of the moment and made their decision to attend UWM on the spot.

NOTE: The campus has a pep rally for the basketball team scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 13th at the Student Union.