Are Duke's Cameron Crazies less crazy than they used to be?

Could Duke’s Cameron Crazies be losing their luster as the best student fan group in college basketball?

An article, “Make Cameron Great Again,” by Ben Leonard of The Chronicle, Duke’s student newspaper, accused the Duke basketball student section of not living up to standards during the Blue Devils’ 65-63 loss to Virginia on Jan. 27.

“Even when everyone knew coming into Saturday that this was going to be the most consequential game of the season — more important than against a struggling North Carolina team. The wild costumes, the hooplah and the fire just were never there,” Leonard wrote.

The Crazies should be at their peak against UNC on Saturday, but perhaps the students didn’t know the consequences of the game against Virginia. Grayson Wise, a line monitor for the Crazies, read Leornard’s story.

“Everyone points to the UVa game,” said Wise, a Duke senior majoring in computer science. “I don’t think everyone realized how big of a game it was. It was a top 5 matchup.”

Head line monitor Sara Constand, a senior majoring in public policy, said the students sometimes pick their games or moments to be loud.

“For Virginia we didn’t have a record number of students, but it was still loud,” Constand said. “In the Notre Dame game the crowd was more excited than the UVa game.”

The Crazies have mellowed over the years, thanks to university and student leader intervention and coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has been known to address the students before games and to admonish them for a poor performance or for going too far in criticizing the opposition. In the 1980s students threw record albums on the court to bash N.C. State’s Chris Washburn, who had been charged with stealing a stereo.

Constand said the line monitors, who also manage Krzyzewskiville, make sure students get their tickets and get as many in the student section as possible. They also work with athletic department officials to create “dirt sheets,” instructions and chants that are acceptable to use during games.

She said Coach K and the athletic department do not like profane cheers or overly clever cheers. Still, they try to encourage students to be creative with their cheers. It has led to some changes.

“Instead of saying ‘you suck’ after intros (of opposing players), we’re using ‘good luck,’” Constand said. “I think that’s kinda witty.”

Some of the recent criticism of the Crazies involves taking selfies and just trying to be seen on TV. All of which could be just millennials being millennials.

Constand said the students do not take selfies during the games.

“People text during timeouts,” she said. “I don’t think that’s a factor.”

Another issue is the student section area. For big games the students are sometimes crammed into a small space, and it’s tough for them to move and jump.

“We’ve had more students than in previous years,” Constand said. “There’s so many of them that it’s hard to jump.”

Wise agreed.

“It can be uncomfortable for the UNC game,” Wise said. “If you want to see the game, you’re going to have to be uncomfortable.”

The lack of competition can also be a factor.

“We haven’t had as many close games,” Constand said. “It’s harder for fans to get crazy when you win by that much.”

Wise believes Leonard and other Crazies critics may have just attended too many games.

“For the students who have been here for four years the Crazies are not as impressive,” Wise said. “For the first-timer it can be imposing.”

Indeed, a reporter covering Virginia basketball for SB Nation watched that Jan. 27 Virginia game in the midst of the Crazies. In her article, “Virginia vs. Duke: My unforgettable experience with the Cameron Crazies,” Caroline Darney thought the experience was extraordinary.

“I went home with sore feet, ringing ears, and the understanding that I just had one of the most amazing sports experiences of my life. Thank you, Cameron Crazies,” Darney wrote.

“There’s not a lack of enthusiasm by students,” Constand said.

“The Crazies are an expectation thing,” Wise said.

UNC at Duke

When: 8:15 p.m., Saturday

Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham

TV: ESPN

This story was originally published March 2, 2018 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Are Duke's Cameron Crazies less crazy than they used to be?."