Sports Illustrated once said Duke University basketball fans are “Proof of two long-held assumptions: One, fans can make a difference. Two, even smart people can act like idiots.”

Such words echo the heart and soul Duke students, more affectionately known as “Cameron Crazies” after the university’s basketball arena, put forth in order to maintain their reputation as some of the most dedicated sports fans in the university scene.

Brent Holck, who works in the Duke athletic ticket office, attributes the intensity of the basketball season to various things, but mostly to the friendship and community that comes with the sport.

“A lot of it has to do with the team and the players,” he said, adding that head coach Mike Krzyzewski makes the fans feel as if they are a key component in the team’s success, creating a sense of unparalleled camaraderie. “The coach does a great job of making sure the fans are included.”

The fans and university have even gone so far as to dedicate the fans’ camp base to the coach, naming it “Krzyzewski-ville.” The grounds, scattered with tents and bodies alike, are located outside of the Cameron Indoor Stadium, a haven where school leaders allow students to set up 100 tents with 15 residents each. In all, the sliver of land usually holds around 1,500 occupants.

The university has helped make the mini-city a staple for the fans by implementing a strict set of guidelines that require tent occupants to always stand guard of their tent. Students must be present for three of five daily tent check-ups.

Once game-time nears, the basketball arena opens, and those with the best stakes are given the best seats, as the university employs a general-admission policy for tickets.

“Basically, we don’t even handle tickets anymore. People are just excited to get into the game,” Holck said, adding that the intensity of student excitement “depends on the game.”

While the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill cannot pride itself as having its own sort of Krzyzewski-ville, it nonetheless is the home of rare dedicated sports fans.

Like Duke, UNC previously allowed students to camp out for the ticket trade, but as Shane Parrish, assistant director of ticket operations, noted, the sheer number of students made this a difficult operation. In light of this, the university has opted to use a lottery system.

“Around here, college athletics is all there is. It’s life around here,” Parrish said, describing the coveted seat in the basketball arena as “definitely a tough ticket.”

Parrish also cited the history surrounding the Tar Heels basketball experience as a main component of its fans’ dedication.

“More than anything it’s tradition,” he said, noting that with an arena capacity of 22,000 people, the athletic experience is far different than from what the 6,000 people in Duke’s basketball arena event.

“It’s just like a football game. It’s what makes them special, and this is what makes ours special.”