Carmichael Comments: Keeping It Going

Logic – and human nature – suggests that topping the emotions surrounding the win over NC State at Carmichael Arena on Jan. 15 would be difficult to do for the Carolina women’s basketball team.
 
But wouldn’t you know, the Tar Heels did it. In two different ways: in the stands and on the court.
 
Thanks to a scheduling quirk, Carolina held its two biggest home games of the season as back-to-back games with Duke visiting Carmichael just four days after the NC State contest. The two games were part of the Tar Heels’ first-ever three-game homestand exclusively against ACC opponents – a busy and critical stretch for the team inside the lines and the ace marketing staff, too. While an 8 p.m. tipoff on a Thursday against Duke may have been less favorable to the numerous families who attended a Sunday afternoon tilt against NC State, the Carolina students made up for the difference by packing the stands and providing the largest student turnout for a game in recent memory. The line snaked up the stairs outside Carmichael Arena and out onto the sidewalk along South Road…down past Fetzer Hall…and down to Student Stores. The announced crowd of 5,003 ensured that even in the middle of the week, the Duke rivalry game would be played in front of a crowd of at least 5,000 for the second straight season.
“That was really electric,” Carolina Head Coach Courtney Banghart said. “To have that many students really leading the charge with our fanbase, it was electric. Obviously, it’s a huge game. It’s a ranked opponent, a rival, and an ACC front-runner. I’ll never forget the crowd that showed up for this team.”
 
The momentum around the fanbase was perhaps even more evident on Sunday. Carolina hosted a Georgia Tech team near the cellar of the ACC in the third home game in eight days. Throw in the Carolina men’s team, and it was the fifth basketball game in Chapel Hill in that same span. It was raining outside. The kind of day that makes you want to grab a blanket and a hot chocolate and curl up on the couch with your dog or cat (just don’t give your dog the hot chocolate). And if you were doing that, the mega-popular NFL Playoffs were on TV at the same time.
 
But even with all those factors, the Tar Heels and their expanding fanbase drew 4,418 fans to Carmichael. Carolina will conclude January averaging 4,929 fans per home game,…