Where to find the best Wolfpack gear to show love for NCSU teams in NCAA Final Four games
With NCSU men’s and women’s basketball teams on a historic tandem run in this year’s NCAA tournament, fans have been tearing through local supplies of logoed gear like packs of wolves.
NCSU’s men’s team will play Purdue in the Final Four Saturday night and, presuming they prevail, go on to Monday’s championship game. The women play in the Final Four game against South Carolina on Friday, with a championship game on Sunday.
So it’s not too late to start wearing your fandom on your sleeve — or your chest or the top of your head.
Area stores still have Wolfpack swag for sale and have ordered more. Wolfpack Outfitters, NCSU’s campus shop, is taking orders for NCAA Final Four merchandise and some of those items were available in the stores as of Wednesday.
Here are some places where fans — new and long-suffering — can buy N.C. State swag.
▪ Wolfpack Outfitters, the N.C. State Store, has two locations. On the central campus, they’re in Talley Student Union, 2610 Cates Ave., and the store is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. If you’re lucky, you might find parking along Hillsborough Street, or go to the Coliseum Parking Deck about three-tenths of a mile from the student union. For public parking, the campus uses the ParkMobile app.
On Centennial Campus, Wolfpack Outfitters is at 1910 Entrepreneur Drive, Suite 780A in the Tower Hall Annex. That store is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. only. Public parking is available in the Poulton Deck about two-tenths of a mile away.
Jennifer Gilmore, marketing director for the stores, said Wednesday that traffic was up at least threefold compared to normal and that merchandise was being snapped up as soon as it was put out.
“It’s really fun,” she said. “I think we have some visitors who haven’t been back on our campus in quite some time. While they’re here, they’re going to get [Howling Cow] ice cream and walking over to Reynolds Coliseum. It’s like summer orientation with so many visitors in the building.”
Gilmore said the stores have sold about 20,000 pieces of basketball apparel since the Wolfpack took the ACC championship, and about 10,000 pieces of apparel, gifts and novelties just since Monday.
▪ The Red and White Shop, owned by an NCSU graduate, a 3526 Wade Ave. in Raleigh, also has tons of State gear plus items made for the NCAA Sweet 16. Feeling confident? The shop already has printed ball caps proclaiming the men’s basketball team the 2024 champs.
The store is in the Ridgewood Shopping Center (with Whole Foods) and is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
▪ Belk carries NCSU team gear. Some items are available in stores but others must be shipped and it’s not clear whether they will arrive before the games’ final buzzer sounds.
▪ Online retailers Breaking T and Homefield Apparel both are licensed to sell ACC and NCAA-trademarked items and have added some new pieces to their selections.
▪ Wolfpack bobbleheads are available for pre-order now from the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame & Museum’s online store. The limited edition bobbleheads cost $40 with an $8 shipping charge, and are expected to ship in September. Each bobblehead — which depicts Mr. Wuf “dancing” on a basketball court — will be individually numbered from 1 to 2,024. Find them at store.bobbleheadhall.com/products/ncstatedancing.
▪ Amazon just dropped their Final Four gear, with tons of NC State options. Go directly there with the link: amazon.com/fanshop/ncaa/north-carolina-state-wolfpack.
▪ Poshmark, an online resale site, shows dozens of items for sale in response to a search for “NCSU.” Whether you get your Wolfpack shirt, jacket, mug or shot glass in time for this weekend’s game depends on how fast the seller ships it.
▪ Thrift stores, of which there are dozens in the Triangle, are a good place to find random used NCSU clothing.
