NC State women's basketball is a refreshing brand of college hoops

As the final minutes ticked off the clock for the last home game of the season at Reynolds Coliseum for NC State women’s basketball, the crowd roared its approval, giving several curtain calls to one of the greatest senior classes assembled on any of the Wolfpack’s sports programs.

It was a justified expression of appreciation.

Covering the team’s postseason run thus far has been a joy to watch for a fan of the long-gone days of yesteryear’s college basketball.

It is especially visible compared to the current state of the men’s game.

Being blunt, men’s college basketball has challenges affecting its popularity.

The most-watched men’s conference tournament final game was CBS’s Iowa-Purdue Big Ten title tilt at 3.59 million viewers. The ACC championship on ESPN, featuring head coach Mike Krzyzewski in his final conference game, was watched by 3.06 million.

Only one game during the regular season was watched by more than three million viewers – the Duke-UNC game that was Coach K’s final home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. That checked in at 3.98 million.

Know those “meaningless bowls” that media pundits love to rag about like clockwork every December? The Liberty Bowl between Mississippi State and Texas Tech on Tuesday, Dec. 28 at 6:45 p.m. on ESPN had nearly as many viewers as that Duke-UNC contest.

The Independence Bowl between BYU and UAB had more viewers than the ACC hoops title game. College basketball’s second-most-watched regular-season game was Duke-Gonzaga (2.79 million). Almost as many people (2.731 million) watched Air Force and Louisville play in the First Responder Bowl.

Thankfully, March Madness is still going strong. The NCAA Tournament continues to deliver the ratings and interest, but it is increasingly all the sport has left.

The transfer portal, while the right thing to do by the players, nevertheless has caused fans to lose relatability with the sport. College athletics is about cheering for the team, unlike the professional leagues where alliances can shift based on where LeBron James or Tom Brady signs.

That’s not to say transfers are non-existent in the women’s game. Two of NC State women’s basketball’s most important players in its current eight-player rotation are portal additions — senior guard Raina Perez and ACC Sixth Player of the Year Diamond Johnson, a sophomore guard.

NC State men’s coach Kevin Keatts recently described Wolfpack senior forward Jericole Hellems as a “unicorn,” referencing how Hellems is a rare senior to spend all four years at one school. Keatts is correct. The percentage of players who enroll and complete their entire eligibility at one school on the men’s side has likely fallen below 50 percent, perhaps well beneath it.

Meanwhile, after Perez took her curtain call against Kansas State, so did seniors Kai Crutchfield, Kayla Jones and Elissa Cunane. All three are wrapping up their eligibility at NC State after being here for at least four years, five in the case of Crutchfield and Jones. Perez decided to also use a super senior year, like Crutchfield and Jones, adding a year to her stay in Raleigh.

Furthermore, three juniors who play huge roles on a team that is 31-3 overall are Camille Hobby, Jakia Brown-Turner and Jada Boyd. All three have been at NC State since they enrolled as freshmen.

Thus, when the packed stands at Reynolds Coliseum, which has been sold out double-digit numbers of games this year, rose to applaud the seniors, it was a group they had watched mature in the program. Next year is likely to see more standing ovations.

There is also a basic element that women’s college basketball is simply more of a team game and enjoyable to watch.

Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News was asked over the weekend on Twitter, “Any NCAA teams run anything other than high ball screens?”

DeCourcy noted that, “Most of the high major teams play that way, because that’s what the NBA does and college players wanna play in the NBA.”

It doesn’t make for appealing basketball, however, which may be reflected in the NBA’s own ratings. Around 11.2 million watched Duke and Michigan State play in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the most-watched game of the first weekend of the Big Dance. That was more than four of the NBA Finals games in 2021.

By comparison, watching NC State and other women’s basketball teams is like rewatching the days of working offense to get a good shot.

There is also something about this particular NC State women’s team that adds to its appeal.

At the end of the players’ portion of the postgame press conference following the second-round win over Kansas State, which featured Hobby and Jones, there was almost a sense that the media was ready to give them a round of applause. So impressed was everyone in the room with the strength and confidence with Hobby and Jones carried themselves.

This is not the first time some of Moore’s players had impressed. After Cunane answered a question following a third straight ACC title with a refreshing honesty, one long-time area reporter felt compelled to tell her afterward that it was one of the best answers they have ever heard.

One answer from Hobby on Monday in particular stood out. When asked what more needed to be done to further advance the women’s basketball game, she answered:

“We’ve seen in the past when women’s games are on TV, people watch them. So more games need to be on TV, not ESPN-plus but ESPN. Have us on there and give us a chance to perform and show that we’re great.”

After watching this team up close, Hobby is right.

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