NC State fans have been treated to some incredible feats during the 2024-25 season. A 13-point comeback victory over a conference rival. A nail-biting double-overtime upset over the No. 1 team in the nation. An undefeated record at home. None of these moments are from “big revenue sports” like men’s college basketball or football.
Welcome to women’s college basketball.
It took a superstar talent like Caitlin Clark for women’s basketball to finally get the national spotlight, but for those who reside in the City of Oaks, it’s been a staple for years. Head coach Wes Moore has redefined the Wolfpack’s program, earning an NCAA Tournament berth in nine of his 12 seasons and reaching the Sweet 16 in six of the last seven seasons.
Last season, Moore led his team to its first Final Four appearance since 1998 as NC State celebrated one of its most successful seasons in program history. Just a few days ago the Wolfpack advanced to the Sweet 16 after a program-record-setting 83-49 victory over Michigan State. With NC State football and men’s basketball enduring disappointing seasons, the women have given the Wolfpack faithful something to look forward to.
And NC State isn’t the only women’s basketball program in North Carolina that has been thriving. UNC-Chapel Hill head coach Courtney Banghart and Duke head coach Kara Lawson — along with Moore — have turned the Triangle into a mecca for college basketball. This season marks the first time that the three programs have each held a top-three seed in the NCAA Tournament. A quarter of the top 12 teams in the country all reside within a 45-minute drive of each other — there’s nowhere else in the world that can boast that.
Now, some argue that women’s college basketball doesn’t have the same star power as its men’s counterpart. You may not get the high-flying dunks of Duke’s Cooper Flagg or Auburn’s Johni Broome, but women’s basketball is riddled with talent. Look no further than NC State’s double-overtime victory over then-No. 1 Notre Dame.
From NC State’s dynamic senior guard duo of Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers to Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron, the abundance of star power left College Gameday no choice but to come to Raleigh for the matchup and even drew over half of the WNBA teams’ scouts to the heavyweight bout.
The game itself didn’t just match the hype — it soared above it. From Citron’s overtime-forcing buzzer-beater to James’ dagger behind-the-back layup, the spectacle was full of highlight-reel plays that impressed even the most casual basketball fans.
Fans are finally beginning to realize that women’s college basketball is just as relevant as men’s. In fact, for the first time, last year’s women’s National Championship game averaged more viewers than the men’s National Championship. Averaging over 18.7 million viewers and peaking at 24 million, it was the most-watched basketball game in either sport since 2019.
Even still, the recognition that women’s basketball is getting is long overdue. There were talented superstars before Clark hit the scene. Look to Notre Dame’s Arike Ogunbowale, who hit back-to-back game-winners in the 2018 semifinals and National Championship to bring a title back to South Bend.
There have been stars after Clark moved to the WNBA too. UConn’s Paige Bueckers and USC’s JuJu Watkins have become household names, synonymous with women’s basketball. There are even bona fide rivalries, such as the one between Hidalgo and NC State’s own sophomore guard Zoe Brooks, who grew up hooping together but now battle each other for ACC supremacy.
All of this to say, women’s college basketball is here to stay and deserves the same energy that fans give to men’s basketball or football. Look at how that turned out for the Wolfpack. It holds the third-longest home winning streak in the country, all because of the energy that NC State fans bring to each and every game. Even Moore has said that Reynolds Coliseum is the loudest building he’s ever been in. Yes, it’s up to the players to bring their teams to greatness, but it’s the fans that give the sport life, so give women’s basketball all of the attention it deserves
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