Raleigh, N.C. – N.C. State men’s basketball coach Sidney Lowe has his team far below the NCAA tournament bubble, but there is no question his own job is on the line. Fans urged the replacement of previous coach Herb Sendek despite five straight March Madness appearances, and in the five seasons under Lowe, the school has yet to return to the big dance.
Statewide, Lowe is pretty well-liked. 30% of North Carolinia college basketball fans see him favorably, and only 17% unfavorably. But that masks the fact that his team’s own fanbase is more hostile to him than those who root for the state’s other three ACC teams. Wolfpack backers give him only a 31-23 margin, compared to Tar Heels fans’ 32-15. Carolina has won 10 of 11 games against State since Lowe came onboard, and its last loss was four years ago.
Similarly, while 30% want Lowe to remain under contract next season overall, and 21% want him replaced, State fans are much more narrowly divided, only 29-27 in his favor. The plurality Carolina fans mirror the overall split, at 30-20, while Duke fans are most in favor of Lowe’s retention, 33-19. Duke is 6-2 against Lowe.
“NC State has become a pretty easy win for UNC and Duke during the Lowe era,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “So it’s not surprising those schools’ fans are more supportive of keeping Lowe as coach than his own fan base.”
First-year Wake Forest coach Jeff Bzdelik is still pretty much an unknown. 84% of people who follow one of the four teams have no opinion on him, and the rest are split 7-9. As with Lowe, Wake fans skew his numbers downward, 5-19. The team is mired at the very bottom of the ACC standings with a 1-13 conference record, 8-21 overall, a season after finishing in the middle of the pack with a winning record in Dino Gaudio’s final season.
Bzdelik will likely have a longer leash than Lowe, but even still, everyone but Carolina fans (12-5) want to get rid of him. 19% of Wake fans are ready for his ouster, while only 8% want to give him another shot, part of an overall 10-12 sentiment for his firing.
When it comes to college hoops, 35% of North Carolinians are UNC fans, 17% Duke fans, 16% State fans, 6% Wake fans, and 27% claim to follow none of these teams.
PPP surveyed 650 North Carolina voters from February 16th to 21st. The survey’s margin of error is +/-3.8%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.
Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.
Q1 In college basketball are you a fan of UNC, NC
State, Duke, or Wake Forest?
UNC………………………………………………………. 34%
NC State ………………………………………………… 16%
Duke ……………………………………………………… 17%
Wake Forest …………………………………………… 6%
None of these teams………………………………… 27%
Q2 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Sidney Lowe?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 30%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 17%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 53%
Q3 Do you think Sidney Lowe should be retained
for another year at the end of this season or
replaced with someone else?
Should be retained for another year……………. 30%
Should be replaced with someone else ………. 21%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 50%
Q4 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Jeff Bzdelik?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 7%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 9%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 84%
Q5 Do you think Jeff Bzdelik should be retained for
another year at the end of this season or
replaced with someone else?
Should be retained for another year……………. 10%
Should be replaced with someone else ………. 12%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 78%
Q6 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 52%
Man……………………………………………………….. 48%
Q7 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,
press 2. If you are an independent or identify
with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 45%
Republican……………………………………………… 37%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 18%
Q8 If you are white, press 1. If African-American,
press 2. If other, press 3.
White …………………………………………………….. 74%
African-American …………………………………….. 22%
Other……………………………………………………… 5%
Q9 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to
45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are
older than 65, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 10%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 30%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 40%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 20%
Q10
252………………………………………………………… 13%
336………………………………………………………… 18%
704………………………………………………………… 20%
828………………………………………………………… 15%
910………………………………………………………… 16%
919………………………………………………………… 18%
