Hundreds of Duke students stormed the outside of Cameron Indoor Stadium Wednesday night to greet the members of the Duke men’s basketball team upon their return from an 85-84 win over rival North Carolina. Students ran en masse from the Main Quadrangle to the Cameron service road, forming a crowd that erupted in chants of “Let’s go, Duke!” as it awaited the players, coaches and the man of the hour Austin Rivers.
No bonfire was allowed due to lack of a permit, Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta said, noting that the Durham fire marshal maintained that an unauthorized bonfire Wednesday would mean no permit for the home game against North Carolina March 3.
The Chronicle’s Matteo Caporrella and Julia May braved the crowd and the mayhem to gauge students’ reactions to the victory.
“I never thought I would feel so happy about Tyler Zeller in my life. For that last second tip-in, right in the end, and then missing that free throw and then failing at guarding Austin Rivers.”
— senior Chris Kizer
“It’s really regrettable that [Duke Student Government] didn’t ask for a permit for the bonfire. DSG talks about how its goal is campus unity, and we have tons of people out here, and we can’t have a bonfire.”
— sophomore Craig Moxley
“That is probably gonna go down as the best shot of Duke history thus far—above Laettner.”
–– junior John Watts
“It was an unbelievable game. I loved every second of it—it made me wish I had a Duke degree.”
—Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta
“This was one of the best games in the Duke-UNC rivalry. Gotta give it to Austin Rivers, he stepped up—great play by a great player.”
–– junior Tyree Watkins
“The last shot made the entire stress of watching the game completely worth it.”
—senior Cara Haselrig
“The MVP of the game was definitely Tyler Zeller.”
–– sophomore Victoria Li
“That was the best moment of my undergraduate career at Duke.”
—senior Lily Huang
“Most incredible game I’ve ever seen in my life. Austin Rivers is gonna go down as one of the greatest basketball players in Duke history.”
—Dan Evans, a first-year master’s candidate in biomedical engineering
“I’m literally still shaking.”
— sophomore Colleen Mulligan hours after the game ended.
“It was my birthday, and they gave me the best birthday gift ever.”
—Duygu Sagiroglu, first-year master’s candidate in engineering management
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