College basketball 101: The Chronicle's guide to being part of the Cameron Crazies

As winter sports are underway, The Chronicle is back with our breakdown of every sport, including key rules, terminology, tournament formats and more. Here is our basketball edition, including a section on the common cheers for Duke's home fans:

Overview

After camping out overnight or just getting into the back of the walk-up line, the Cameron Crazies — Duke basketball fans — get to cheer for a 40-minute basketball game. A men’s game is divided into two 20-minute halves, while the women play four 10-minute quarters. Each team puts five players on the court at a time, with the offense trying to score by putting the ball through the basketball hoop and the defense trying to prevent that by causing turnovers and grabbing rebounds. A court is standardized at 94 feet long and 50 feet wide, with each end featuring a 10-foot tall goal with a backboard, a rim and a net hanging from the rim. The ball used in the women's game is an inch smaller in circumference. 

Terminology

On the court

• Rim: The orange hoop through which players aim to shoot the ball.
• Backboard: The rectangle made of Plexiglass or tempered glass that holds the hoop. Players use the backboard to bounce the ball more easily into the net. The smaller white rectangle painted on the backboard is called “the box.” Players use this to help them aim their shots.
• Free-throw line/charity stripe: A horizontal line 15 feet from each basket. After every shooting foul, the fouled player gets an opportunity for one, two or three “free” shots standing at the line, meaning no defensive player can guard them. Each made free throw is worth one point.  
• 3-point line: The arched line on either side of the court that touches the baseline twice and circles around the hoop, commonly referred to as “the arc.” All points on this line are just over 22 feet from the basket. The area behind the line is often called “downtown,” colloquially. Every shot made from behind the 3-point line is worth three points, and every made shot inside the line — except a free throw — is worth two points.
• Field goal: Any shot, not including free throws, is called a field goal.
• Baseline: The line behind each basket that marks the boundary between in and out of bounds. A player may not step on the baseline with the ball in their hands or dribble on that line or they will lose possession.
• Sideline: Two lines on the long sides of the basketball court rectangle which mark a boundary between in and out. After a ball goes out of bounds, the team who did not touch it last will pass the ball back in play from right behind the sideline. 
• Paint: The area between the baseline and free-throw line which is painted a different color — in Cameron Indoor, it’s Duke blue. The post is where power forwards and centers spend most of their time on the court. It is divided into two areas — the high post, which is near the free-throw line, and the low post, which is near the basket. Teams often try to pass the ball to these players while they set up in the post, a move known as a post-entry pass.
• Elbow: A term to describe the two intersection points between the free-throw line and the paint.  

Positions

• Jump ball: The start of every game begins with one player from each team — usually the center — gathering at the half court circle as the ball is thrown up by the referee. Both players try to swipe the ball in the direction of their teammates to start with possession. 
• Zone vs. man defense: These are the two most common forms of defense. In man-to-man defense, each player guards one opponent and follows them around the court. In a zone defense, players guard an area on the court rather than a specific opponent.
• Starting five: This refers to the first five players that a team will put on the court. After the starting five, a coach will substitute players in from the bench. 
• Dribbling/driving: Dribbling — bouncing the ball up and down — is how players move the ball. You must dribble with the ball if you are moving. 
• Airball: If a player does not hit any part of the basket with their shot, it’s an “airball.” 
• Layup: Layups are known as one of the easier shots to make in basketball, as they are taken very close to the basket. Usually, a player will jump off the court and put the ball off the backboard, where it will bounce from the corner of the box and go through the net. 
• Dunk: This is one of the most exciting plays in basketball. It is similar to a layup, except the player jumps off the ground and gets their arm(s) above the rim, throwing down the ball from above the hoop for two points. 
• Press: This is a style of defense generally used when teams are trailing and need to get stops on defense. Defenders will guard their opponents for the entire 94 feet, putting pressure on the ball, looking to create turnovers and slowing down the offense. 
• Fast break: After a turnover or rebound, the offense often has an advantage going down the other end of the floor. Teams will try to push the pace and beat the defense down the floor on the fast break, oftentimes getting easy layups or dunks.
• Screen/pick: Offensive players often get the help of another player to create extra space for them to move the ball, with teammates coming to set screens or picks. The screener, usually a power forward or center, stands still in front of the defender guarding the ball, forcing the defender to run into the screener or move around them, which gives the ball handler room to operate.
• Timeout: Coaches call timeouts throughout the course of the game to stop momentum or draw up plays. Each team gets four to use over the 40 minutes, with one 60-second timeout and three 30-second timeouts. Coaches can only call a timeout if their team has possession.

Rules and fouls

Fouls and violations are a significant part of basketball, with the potential to change the outcome of games. Each player is disqualified after recording five personal fouls. After a foul, if it is not in the act of shooting, the team fouled inbounds the ball and play continues. However, if a player is fouled while attempting to shoot, they get two or three free throws depending on the shot they attempted. 

In the men’s game, when a team fouls an opponent seven times in a half, the opponent always gets to shoot a free throw, even in a non-shooting foul. If they make the first free throw, they get another chance, which is called one-and-one. After a team records 10 total fouls, the opponent automatically gets two free throws following every subsequent foul. The women’s game does not allow for one-and-one free throws, instead moving directly into two guaranteed shots after five team fouls in a quarter. The count resets each period. 

A technical foul is a non-physical foul — verbal abuse or unsportsmanlike conduct — from coaches and players alike. A player or coach is disqualified after two technical fouls. 

Flagrant fouls are the highest level of punishment. A flagrant-1 represents excessive contact and gives two free throws and possession of the ball to the opponent. For a flagrant-2 — which is a step above excessive and unnecessary and “extreme in nature” — the offender is disqualified from the contest. 

Common violations

Players do not receive a foul for these, but all of these give possession of the ball for the opposing team. 

• Double-dribble: When a player picks up their dribble, they cannot once again begin dribbling without passing the ball. 
• Travel: A travel is called whenever a player takes more than two steps with the ball moves but does not dribble. While lifting up one foot to pivot is permitted, NCAA rules do not permit any steps after possessing the ball and gathering oneself — slowing down or stopping after making an action to collect the ball.  
• Three-second violation: A three-second violation occurs anytime an offensive player spends longer than three consecutive seconds inside the painted area. 
• Carry: Whenever a dribbling player places their hand under the ball and either stops dribbling or pauses before dribbling again, a carry is called. 
• Backcourt violation: Any time a team takes longer than 10 seconds to move the ball into its opponents’ half of the court, a backcourt violation is called. Additionally, if a player establishes themself in their opponent’s half and then crosses back into their own half, a backcourt violation will be called. 
• Shot clock violation: If a team fails to get a shot up before the shot clock hits zero, a shot clock violation is called. If a shot is taken before time expires but the ball fails to hit the rim, a violation is called. 
• Kick ball: Anytime a player intentionally contacts the ball with their foot or leg, a kick ball violation is called. 

Common fouls

• Reach-in foul: This occurs when a defender attempts to steal the ball with their hand but makes illegal contact with the offensive player in the attempt. 
• Charge/block: This is one of the most contentious discrepancies in basketball. If a defender blocks the path of a player driving to the basket, it is called a block. A charge is the flip side of this. If the defender is in a legal guarding position or stands with their torso firmly set — not leaning their shoulders to try and draw the foul — and the offensive player runs into the defender, it is an offensive foul. 
• Illegal screen: A player setting a pick will be called for a foul if they lean into the defender, move out of their set position or stand with their feet wider than their shoulders. 
• Rebounding fouls: When both teams fight for the rebound, fouls are often called. If either team illegally impedes the other from getting the ball, it is called a loose ball foul. An over-the-back foul is when a defender is legally boxing out the offensive player, and the offensive player jumps over the back of the defender to grab the rebound. 

Season format 

Duke is part of the Atlantic Coast Conference, which is notorious for its basketball prowess. Each ACC men’s basketball team plays 20 in-conference games during the regular season. Each team has two “partners” and one rotating opponent that it plays at home and away in the season. Duke’s permanent partners are North Carolina and Wake Forest, and its rotating opponent for this season is Miami. The remaining 14 games are split into seven home and seven away contests and encompass the remaining 14 ACC teams. The format is the same for ACC women’s basketball, except each team plays 18 in-conference games as opposed to 20. Additionally, each team has just one partner program, with Duke’s being North Carolina.

Duke’s season began with a slate of nonconference opponents, alongside a few matchups against top-billed programs at neutral or road sites. Conference play for the men’s team began Dec. 8 with a road victory against Louisville. The Blue Devils will play the archrival Tar Heels Feb. 1 at home and Mar. 8 on the road, with the latter being the regular season finale for both teams.

At the regular season’s end, the top 15 teams in the conference are seeded in the ACC Tournament, taking place in Charlotte this season for men’s basketball and Greensboro for women’s basketball. Team seeds are determined by conference records, with head-to-head results as a tiebreaker. The tournament uses a five-round, single-elimination format. Seeds one through four receive a double bye, meaning they don’t have to play until the quarterfinals, in the tournament, while seeds five through nine receive a single bye.

The winner of the ACC Tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, commonly known as March Madness or “the Big Dance.” In total, 31 Division I conference champions receive automatic bids, while 37 teams earn at-large bids to make the field 68 total. On Selection Sunday, set for March 16 for men’s and March 17 for women’s, the NCAA will announce these 68 teams and assign each team a seed from one to 16. The Blue Devil men have received a top-five seed in each of the last three seasons, earning a No. 4-seed in 2024.

Men’s basketball’s tournament competitors are spread out across four regions — East, South, Midwest and West — with games held at neutral sites. Excluding the initial First Four round, which allows two teams to play their way into the main bracket of 64, March Madness contains six rounds with a single-elimination format.

The women’s March Madness tournament is slightly different, with teams seeded from one to four hosting first and second rounds. The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds will be held in Birmingham, Ala., and Spokane, Wash., followed by the Final Four in Tampa, Fla. Last season, Duke earned a No. 7-seed and made it to the Sweet 16 before losing to UConn.

Cameron Crazies 

There are basketball fans, and then there are Cameron Crazies. The 1000-plus undergraduate students that squeeze into Section 17 represent the pinnacle of Blue Devil passion — and they uphold their intense game-day reputation with several distinct traditions. 

Cheering begins 90 minutes before tipoff, for which line monitors provide fodder with “dirt sheets” that contain information about opposing players. The Crazies, who pack themselves shoulder-to-shoulder atop the courtside wooden bleachers, are asked to never sit down in Cameron. Crazies frequently make use of body paint, costumes and props to show their unwavering support for the Blue Devils.

During the intro video played roughly 30 minutes before tipoff, Crazies count off the school’s five national championship banners — then chant “We want six!” until the lights brighten. When DJ Khaled’s “All I Do is Win” plays over the speakers, they scream “Duke Duke Motherf—er” at the pause. In another musical tradition, Cascada’s “Everytime We Touch,” comes with its own choreography of overhead claps and fist pumps. 

In the moments leading up to tipoff, the Crazies shout “woo!” with increasing tempo and jump in rhythm with the band’s drummer. Later in the game, they get low and sway in rhythm to AWOLNATION’s “Sail” — leaping up at each mention of "Sail," as line monitors throw a baby doll, named Cammy, into the air. The doll’s age and significance are largely unknown, although generations of line monitors have passed it down.

Cameron Crazies courteously greet each of the opposing team’s starters as they are announced: “Hi _____, you suck!” and remind them of their worst shots throughout the game: “Air ball, air ball." To encourage fair play, the Crazies also take note of an opposing player’s fourth foul: “Four!” and/or departure from the game after fouling out: “See ya!” If a competitor inbounds the ball on a nearby sideline, the Crazies aggressively hex — shake their hands at — the inbounder. Most importantly, they jump on the bleachers whenever the Blue Devils play defense.

When Duke finds itself on offense, the Crazies cycle through several encouraging chants including “Let’s go Duke,” “Go Devils go,” “Let’s go Devils” or “Here we go, Devils, here we go.” For any Blue Devil trips to the free throw line, they raise both hands in the air and wave their fingers in complete silence — then shout “Whoosh!” if the ball finds the net, followed by “Sit sit sit” directed at any opposing fans who may have been making noise during the shot. Games ending in a victory earn extra celebration as they close with chants of “Our house! Our house!" But every contest, win or loss, ends with a rendition of the alma mater. 

Crazies earn their spots in the student section by waiting in line for the games. Most games allow students to just walk in, while a select few larger games can require a night or two of sleeping out on the lawn in front of Cameron Indoor for a spot. The North Carolina game typically involves three to six weeks of camping, called “tenting.” The lawn where the Crazies sleep is officially titled Krzyzewskiville, or “K-Ville,” named after former head coach Mike Krzyzewski. 

For most games during the course of the season, students register their groups online or in-person at a designated time, and from that point forward, must keep at least one-third of their group within the boundaries of K-Ville. 

Tenting for the North Carolina game is an entirely different animal. A single tenting group is made up of 12 people. There are three different phases of tenting, each bringing more groups into K-Ville: Black, blue and white tenting. Black tenting is the most rigorous phase of camping out, as it lasts the longest and requires the most people present. If there are more black tents registered than the 80 spots available, students must take a test based on Duke men’s basketball’s current season to determine who is eligible to tent.

From that point on, the games begin. During the black tenting season, groups are required to keep 10 of their 12 members in the tent during the night, designated as beginning at 1 a.m. on weeknights and 2:30 a.m. on weekends. During the day, just two students must be on duty at all times. Blue tenting is more lenient, with just six members required at night and one during the day. Blue tenting is typically only available if there are open spots in K-Ville after all black tenters have registered. White tenting is even more relaxed, with just two students required overnight and one during the day. Crazies participating in white tenting are placed in line based on their performances in a group scavenger hunt around campus, dubbed the “Race to the Secret Spot.”

Over the years, the Crazies have received some criticism for instances of overly enthusiastic fan behavior, such as tossing objects onto the court or targeting opposing players with specifically hurtful cheers. However, their consistent fervor lends Cameron Indoor a reliably electric energy, making it one of the toughest places to play in the country.

Click here for The Chronicle's beginner's guide to every sport. 

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