WOW! I know y'all have small hall, but that run to the Final Four looks like it's paying dividends. I wonder how Courtney feels about packing a small place?
Not sure how many years this has been the case, but season tickets have sold out for State every year since 2021 for sure. Maybe more. Maybe not. The final four run certainly energized the fan base, but selling out season tickets is the norm since State started reeling off ACC titles. The fanbase has been hungry for a winner!
Honestly I think the Final Four run got overshadowed by the men to an extent. I think the women’s run to the final four would have captivated a larger portion of the fan base had the men lost out or never made the tournament. The improbability of what the men did winning 5 games in 5 days in DC to capture the conference title for the first time in 37 years had Wolfpack nation in a frenzy. Not only winning it, but beating the hated rival Chapel Hill to do so. Then following it up with a Cinderella run to the final four with a win over another neighbor and national brand, Duke, only further entrenched the fans in the storybook run.
Scheduling wasn’t ideal at times either. During the sweet 16 both the men and women were playing at the exact same time! During the elite 8 the games overlapped for a portion as well. It was a shot of the good stuff straight into the veins for a thirsty fan base no doubt! But I do think it pushed the women’s story to the back burner a bit.
If the men weren’t beating a top 2 seed and punching a ticket to the elite 8 as a lovable underdog - the women taking on Stanford with a top 5 pick and a legendary coach would have got way more play locally. A lot of fans probably didn’t even watch it with the Marquette game going on simultaneously.
The women took out Tennessee, Stanford and top seeded Texas! Sure fans were excited in Raleigh, but I definitely think fan bandwidth was stretched thin during that and some of the moments and drama wasn’t as magnified as it otherwise would have been.
Wes has built something special in Raleigh. His results, banners and his persona have made him the most beloved coach currently at State regardless of sport - and I don’t think it’s particularly close. I think expectations are high next year. Season tickets sold out this past year and we were picked 8th in the conference. Next year with the core returning and the highly anticipated new additions, fans will certainly be expecting another top 5-10 team and to compete for another conference title and final four.