DURHAM, North Carolina -- Empty pizza boxes spilled out of trash cans, a football sat alone on a concrete path dividing rows of tents, while portable chairs and mattresses sat mostly empty.
A few Duke students, or Cameron Crazies as even they call themselves, sat around chatting or working on laptops, while a handful of others were already asleep. The party looked almost over.
But the calm just after midnight in what is still called "Kryzewskiville" was not to be mistaken.
"It's grace right now," said Nicholas Trigger, a Duke sophomore from Corpus Christi, Texas.
Meaning, in one of K-Ville's many rules, students had been given a period where they were allowed to take a break and wander. But anytime after 1:30 a.m., Duke's "line checkers" could randomly inspect to make sure each group was represented by at least a third of its members.
Some Duke students ran electrical cords to laptops and televisions while others relied on battery power to get some work done, while waiting for Arizona to play at Duke on Friday, November 10, 2023.
That ensured the tents and mattresses would stay full, all the way down the long grassy mall leading into Cameron Indoor Stadium. Β For if students or their group members don't show up, they don't get in to the game.
Fortunately for them, it was a warm November evening, barely dropping into the 60s after midnight in a month when Duke's leafy campus is glittering in orange and red.
With Arizona coming into Cameron on Friday for the first time in 33 seasons, this is particularly serious business.
Several Duke students said the Wildcats were generating as much excitement as any big game, except the notably insane matchups with nearby rival North Carolina. (For those, the Crazies start lining up six to eight weeks ahead, no kidding).
"It is big," said Harssha Golechha, a sophomore from India.
Duke students set up a long row of tents while camping overnight before Duke faces Arizona on November 10, 2023 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Then there's the fact that a former North Carolina standout, guard Caleb Love, now plays for the Wildcats. Adom Apprah, a sophomore from Spartanburg, South Carolina, said Love alone is adding to the anticipation.
That also means Love will receive a particularly special "greeting" Friday.
"100 percent," Apprah said.
The Crazies are expected to break down the tents late Friday afternoon and begin filing into Cameron, where Duke has sold out 507 straight games. With Duke ranked No. 2 and Arizona No. 12, two powers on opposite ends of the country meeting for the first time in a decade, the game could be particularly worth the wait. For everyone.
Duke's student fans largely take a break from camping and eating pizza during a "grace" period just after midnight on early Friday morning, November 10, 2023, while waiting for the Arizona-Duke game some 19 hours later.Β
Arizona Basketball Postgame Press Conference | Tommy Lloyd | Nov. 6, 2023 (Arizona Athletics YouTube)
