📍 Durham, North Carolina
🏀 Home of Duke Blue Devils basketball

Hosting its first games in 1940, Duke’s esteemed Cameron Indoor Stadium has been a leading contender for the best in college basketball for decades. The intimate cathedral accommodates a little more than 9,300 fans, creating a cozy environment for one of the most followed college teams in the nation. The courtside sections of the arena are primarily allotted to students who make up the Cameron Crazies, whose incessant chants and unstoppable energy has helped the venue earn its notoriously difficult reputation amongst teams that are unlucky enough to find themselves on the Blue Devils’ home schedule.

For the most marquee games, such as those against the rival North Carolina Tar Heels, dedicated students will pitch their tents in Krzyzewskiville, a small greenspace outside the doors of Cameron named after longtime head coach Mike Krzyzewski. They’ll often camp out here for weeks – if not months – in an effort to secure the best possible spots in the bleachers.

Originally called Duke Indoor Stadium, the gym was renamed in honor of former coach and athletic director Eddie Cameron in 1972. The building is clad with iconic Duke bluestone, while its interior features eye-catching wood paneling and ornate decorative motifs that give Cameron a distinct, castle-like feel.

The walls and halls of the arena are lined with years of Duke lore, from game-worn jerseys to basketballs and statcards from their long and storied existence. The Blue Devils have posted a nearly 85% winning percentage at Cameron Indoor and subsequently boast one of the best home court advantages in the sport, up there with the likes of Kansas and Kentucky. In NCAA Tournament play, Duke has secured five national titles – tied with a few other blue bloods – and lays claim to the best record in the tourney since it began.

Some of the team’s most outstanding accomplishments are highlighted at the Duke Basketball Museum, which adjoins Cameron Indoor. The museum is open to ticketed fans during most men’s and women’s home games, in addition to normal business hours when no events are going on.

Here, panels and display cases lead visitors through the timeline of Duke basketball, touching on the greatest coaches and players and showcasing trophies from both mid-season and post-season tournaments. There’s also a space that covers Duke alum who have competed in the Olympics, as well as some memorabilia from all of the university’s wildly successful athletic programs.

Cameron remains one of very few college basketball venues that still has backboards suspended from the ceiling, adding to its overall classic look. Its compact design offers fans close, unobstructed views of the action, but does make Duke basketball one of the hardest tickets in college athletics. A trip to this venerable venue, however, is worth jumping through any hurdles to experience just once.