The Basketball Situation has been unacceptable for some time now. If Hardin (or anyone else) feels the need to point that out, I have no problem with it.
Wake has no basketball program.
The Basketball Situation has been unacceptable for some time now. If Hardin (or anyone else) feels the need to point that out, I have no problem with it.
Agreed. Made that point to Josh Graham and David Glenn before the game yesterday. Didn't understand how Wake could have success in all of the other sports except for one.....
When Hardin criticizes WF fans for not showing up in larger numbers than 24,000 he chooses to ignore several realities. WF has a much smaller number of alumni than the state schools. WF had not WON A CONFERENCE GAME at home since 2017 until last Saturday. WF fell out of the Top 25 the week before the game. Beyond dedicated fans much of the casually interested potential spectators in Winston-Salem are alumni of the other ACC schools and other state schools including out of state schools. You can watch the game on ACCN. Those WF fans attending probably represented the highest number of dedicated fans committed to watching the Deacs play in a game long forecasted to be a tropical storm rain event. Essentially his critique is directed at the choir which is really not to blame. Other than the State game the rest of the games will likely not have more than 25,000 because the fans of the other schools are not interested.
Those #s have to be "tickets sold". My guess was maybe 15k. But the reality is 1) we are the smallest P5 school, 2) other private D1 schools struggle with attendance (see Duke), 3) weather was bad, 4) late game, 5) long 4+ hour game, 6) tickets are too high (I'd suggest something like $45, then 2 for $55, 3 for $65, and 4 for $70....or something like that), and 7) every game is on tv somewhere (I have older friends in 60s-80s and I know they aren't coming as much). Lots of factors.
Yeah. His columns post-UNC and FSU are really starting to get annoying. He's just finding something to be upset about.
"Deacs will have a week off to consider why they struggled to beat Florida State " - No they won't. They will be happy to be 6-1, and focused on healing up and preparing for NC State. Wake is a good team. Sorry, Ed, that they are 6-1 in a fashion that you do not appreciate.
ACC fans had already watched State and Duke get demoralized, and when Wake kicked off, UNC was in the fifth of six overtimes in a numbing loss at Virginia Tech. At that point, and maybe still, we had to assume that Wake Forest had the second- or third-best team in the ACC and certainly the best of the four in-state ACC schools. But who knows? Or in the minds of many in this state, who cares?
We’re another week closer to basketball season, but that’s nothing to look forward to at Wake these days. . . The conference has . . . a pretty good idea of how to play, and defeat, the Deacons. Wake plays . . . a kind of bend-but-don’t-break defense. But sometimes, the Deacs bend, break and shatter at the worst of times. An offense that deploys an odd delayed handoff running game . . . is confounding if not consistent. And . . . it’s not popular with the fan base. FSU was waiting for it, and when Wake drove the length of the field time and time again, the Deacs would get more and more predictable.
So, in other words [and reflecting truthfully my attitude towards the other teams in this state] fuck the Holes, Dookies, AND Wolphies. I could not care less about what they think about us.The above reflects a Triangle-centric lament along with a modicum of dismissiveness from such circles towards WF. I’m not certain Eddie even intended to come off that way while trying to write cleverly and interestingly. Much of his critique has been stated by posters here but stated without the tone of a pushy opponent of WF. The “Who cares?” comment does reflect a true attitude of our in state opponents and their fans who are not coming to our games.
The OB berth goes to the second highest ranked ACC team in the CFP rankings.