Fresno State basketball brings life to the Save Mart Center every week from November to March.

With two teams that fight in the Mountain West Conference, there is a stark difference between the support of the two programs from the Red Wave.

While both teams deserve equal support, which team gives a better fan experience?

Nolan’s thoughts

Fresno State men’s basketball brings a certain thrill and energy to the Save Mart Center that women’s basketball has yet to grasp. I turn to factors like attendance, in-game experience and the product on the court. Both teams are excellent and give fans a memorable experience, but I think the men’s program does it better.

One of the main differences that I feel when attending both games is the in-game atmosphere. Public address announcer Matt Lievre does a great job of firing up the crowd. Most of the time, I don’t get that with women’s basketball games.

Lievre’s ability to feel the crowd adds to the raw emotions of a game. From the starting lineups to the final buzzer, Lievre gives Bulldog fans a reason to stick around.

I also think the Mountain West carries a lot more weight as a men’s basketball conference. As a mid-major conference, the Mountain West will always have two to five teams on the bubble every year. This is far better than other conferences that only get in with automatic bids. 

The women’s conference just doesn’t have that prestige yet. Their conference only sees one team make it to the NCAA tournament each year. 

Fresno State gets to host perennial tournament teams, like Utah State, San Diego State, Boise State, Colorado State and the University of New Mexico every year. When they move to the Pac-12, they’ll add Gonzaga University to that list. 

These are A-list programs that come through the Central Valley. Even if these teams have a down year, their names alone carry enough to get Fresno national recognition.

Obviously, the men’s team provides more spark and energy. Whether it is DeShawn Gory flying for an emphatic slam dunk or David Douglas Jr. lighting it up from beyond the arc, the men’s team is just electric. 

Despite this, both teams deserve to be equally supported by the university and the Red Wave. Give the women’s team and Head Coach Ryan McCarthy time to build the program into what he had at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. 

Finnley’s thoughts

This season, the Fresno State men’s and women’s basketball teams have had multiple games back-to-back in the Save Mart Center. 

On each occasion, McCarthy and the women’s team have played first in a disappointing atmosphere. 

Following the conclusion of the women’s game, the “faithful” Red Wave pours into the Save Mart Center to watch the men’s team, quadrupling the attendance of the first game. 

The fans have chosen to cheer on one team while leaving the other, more exciting team, completely in the dark. 

The Red Wave has completely missed out on an opportunity to watch the mayhem that McCarthy and this women’s team creates. 

Every night, the women’s team brings an intensity to the court that is not replicated on the men’s side. 

This McCarthy-led team swarms ball handlers, making it difficult for every team they play because of the intensity with which they play.

Of the 12 teams in the Mountain West, the Bulldogs are among the leaders in effort-related statistics. 

The ‘Dogs force the most turnovers per conference game at 17.13 and average the second-most steals per game at 8.47. They have the second-most total steals at 127 and have forced the most total turnovers at 257.

McCarthy’s aggressive defense, which comes with full-court presses at times, has players like Emilia Long and Jaisa Gamble near the top of the conference in steals per game and total steals. 

Fans in the Save Mart Center are no strangers to McCarthy yelling out defensive sets like “amoeba.” It’s calls like this that often lead to a full-court press, forced turnover and the ‘Dogs looking to attack with the ball.

The intensity doesn’t stop with the five players on the court. Whether he’s standing or kneeling near the bench while watching the game, McCarthy demands a lot out of his players. 

If a play isn’t executed or a player allows a backdoor cut, McCarthy isn’t scared to immediately sub out the player. For the Red Wave, this pursuit of perfection on every play should spark confidence in fans looking for a dominant basketball team again. 

While the ‘Dogs have had their struggles with the injury bug and on offense this season, the pressure on the defensive end, mixed with a strong rebounding effort, has kept them in games. 

This team deserves more respect come tip-off on Wednesdays and Saturdays, because it is the most exciting basketball team on campus.