CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On an NFL Sunday, over 15,000 spectators spilled into Spectrum Center to watch women's college basketball.
It's a clear sign that the city is ready to be a beacon for the sport.
In the second-annual Ally Tipoff, put on by the Charlotte Sports Foundation, the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks beat No. 9 NC State in a Final Four rematch.
That was followed by an Iowa win over Virginia Tech.
"We appreciate you treating us like a sport," Staley said. "We appreciate you running a first-class game and creating an environment in which we all can be proud of. Women's basketball won today."
Staley, seen as a leading voice in the sport, several times mentioned Charlotte attracting a women's Final Four in her postgame news conference.
The city hosted the event in 1996, but has not since.
Right now the Final Four is booked through 2031 visiting Tampa, Phoenix, Columbus, Indianapolis, San Antonio, Portland and Dallas.
"I think the Final Four is ripe for Charlotte. It's been to a lot of similar cities and goes to a lot of similar cities," said North Carolina's Mitchell Northam, the host of The Women's Basketball Podcast.
Even though Charlotte cannot land the Final Four until at least 2032, they could get earlier rounds.
"The women's tournament also has this second weekend, double regional where they play two parts of the bracket (the Sweet 16 and Elite 8) in one site," Northam said. "Those are booked out through 2028, maybe you see Charlotte get one of those before the Final Four."
Staley also mentioned Charlotte would be a good WNBA city.
She would know, having played for the Charlotte Sting, which left in 2002.
The WNBA wants to expand from 12 teams to 16 by 2028. Charlotte might be a long way down the list of cities, though.
"This is a state that loves basketball," Northam said. "I think a WNBA team would make a lot of sense here. It doesn't seem like there's a group actively working, an ownership group, trying to bring the WNBA here."