Duke

1 hot ticket: Camping tradition continues at Krzyzewskiville before Duke-Carolina game

By Ethan Hyman

Updated January 30, 2025 11:05 AM

Duke senior Natalia Bojorquez cleans up outside her tent in Krzyzewskiville at Duke University in Durham, N.C., Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. The is the 39th year of tenting for students who want to attend the game against UNC. One hundred thirty tents were set up on Jan. 12, with 12 students per tent. It is the only way undergraduates can go to the game. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com

If a Duke student wants to get a seat in Cameron Indoor Stadium in the highly anticipated matchup against rival North Carolina, it’s a process.

This year marks the 39th year of Krzyzewskiville, a Duke University tradition where undergraduate students who want to attend the Blue Devils’ men’s basketball game against North Carolina must tent for tickets.

Krzyzewskiville is named for Mike Krzyzewski, the longtime accomplished Blue Devils coach who retired in 2022.

For this year’s game, 130 tents were set up Jan. 12, to begin the journey of getting tickets for the first of two Duke-Carolina matchups this season. (The second Battle of the Blues will be at the Dean Smith Center on March 8).

Each tent houses 12 students, and they’re expected to follow certain rules to ensure they get a spot among the Cameron Crazies. While all 12 students aren’t required to be in the tent at all times, but with a few exceptions, at least one student must be there 24/7.

Students can decorate their tents with those at the front and along the sides being very cognizant that their tent will be seen by other students, players and the public.

Here are photos from the 2025 Krzyzewskiville setup.