Slim Reaping, Neal or No Neal and Sheffield of Dreams: A walk through the 2025 Duke men's basketball tenting season

Leading up to the Duke vs. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill game every year, two stretches of grass in Krzyzewskiville are covered by a mosaic of tents. There, undergraduate students camp out for tickets to the highly anticipated Tobacco Road rivalry match-up.

Tenting in K-Ville is one of Duke’s oldest traditions, dating back to the 1986 season when the first 15 students pitched tents days before tip-off to secure tickets to the game. 

This year, between record participation in the black tenting test and a hectic Race to the Secret Spots through snow and ice, the Cameron Crazies continue to earn their title.

The Chronicle visited K-Ville to hear the stories of this year’s tenters, both seasoned veterans and first-time Crazies, on their strategies for surviving and thriving this tenting season.

Toughing out the tenting test

On the evening of Jan. 8, 221 tents — each consisting of 12 undergraduate students — tried their hands at the annual K-Ville black tenting test. That’s roughly 41% of the undergraduate population, the highest number of tents ever to participate in the test. 

Sophomore Tally Coulter, a first-time tenter, shared the strategy that led her group to success: recognizing patterns in old exams.

“We all knew we were very serious about tenting, and [we] really wanted to do it this year, especially given [the] short season,” she said. “… Our tent captain made this massive slide show, looking at all the previous tests and then figuring out what was constantly asked on them.”

When preparing for the tenting test, the art of Instagram stalking was not just encouraged, but necessary. Prospective tenters spent hours scouring players' social media accounts, taking note of any detail that could be relevant.

Often, tent groups assign each member two or more players to focus on when studying.

“I got Khaman Maluach and Neal Begovich, so I stalked the hell out of them for two weeks,” said first-year Christopher Tarro, a member of the “Slim Reaping” tent. “I knew every stat[istic], every Instagram post, every major highlight … It was a little weird [and] a little chaotic … I put way too much time into it, but it was actually pretty fun.”

His thorough research paid off; Tarro remembered the person that Maluach scored a three-pointer over in a pre-Olympics exhibition game against Team USA. Still, he failed to remember the dress color of Begovich’s prom date — one of the test’s most talked-about questions.

Ultimately, trust, teamwork and shared love for Duke basketball were the make-or-breaks for the group's performance.

“It was just kind of the expectation [that] everyone knew what they were supposed to know,” Coulter said.

Pitching up a new home

From building decorative shrines to coordinating tent shifts, tenters worked hard to set up their new homes for the season.

Members from “Church of Siontology” — also known as the Siontologists — dedicated their tent to Sion James, adding a comical and cultish twist.

Senior Alec Liu took charge of setting up the ritualistic decorations, while senior Ken Kalin photoshopped various portraits of Sion James on the Los Angeles Church of Scientology buildings.

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Church of Siontology

The Siontologists also wanted to include decorations highlighting James’ contributions as a philanthropist within the community.

“We have toys in the front corners because he did a toy drive, [which] I think that's awesome,” Liu said. “We also have QR codes that link to his actual donation page for the Sion James Foundation.”

Members of the “Neal or No Neal” tent themed their design around Neal Begovich in the hopes of providing recognition for players who don’t get as much in-game playing time. 

“Some of the bench guys don't get enough love sometimes,” sophomore Kiran Pathy said. “So, [we wanted to] just show them their respect. You know, they play a role on the team.”

The team decked out the tent with a “Deal or no Deal” theme, hanging up pictures, Deal or No Deal-esque briefcases, a Neal Begovich jersey and a huge sign.

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Neal or No Neal

These efforts went recognized, not only by students, but also by Begovich’s own mother, who had walked past the tent and loved it. To the tent’s surprise, they received a text from Begovich the next day asking to stop by.

Begovich visited the tent the night of P-Checks, snapping a picture with the group and even signing a jersey.

As game day approaches, K-Ville has now become a colorful village full of “Chicken Coop[s]," “Kon Fu Panda” dojos, “Barbie’s ManSion[s]” and “KhamanaHQ[s]."

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Barbie's ManSion

Life in K-Ville

Despite several days dipping below 32 degrees — with grace being almost all but a handful of nights — sleep deprivation remained an obstacle in K-Ville. Tenters adapted to maximize their rest and productivity during shifts.

“We'll go to bed at 7 p.m., wake up at 12:30 [a.m.], we're up until 3 or 4 [a.m.], and then we sleep,” Coulter said. “So we're still trying to get eight hours — it’s just very interrupted, and so I'll do work in that time … because I know I'm not gonna get good sleep in a tent.” 

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Khamana HQ

Some Siontologists, on the other hand, expressed disappointment with the amount of grace given so far, noting that missing the full tenting experience also means losing valuable bonding time with other tenters.

“There is something to having 10 out of 12 members in the tent one night — it's a great experience. That’s why we’re all here tenting,” said senior Jack Casey, the Siontologists’ tent captain.

Senior Roenigk Straub also emphasized that students have different motivations for tenting — some just want to secure a spot at the rivalry game, while others are there to simply have a good time.

Although tenting is different for anyone, the experience also presents unique challenges for first-year tenters, for whom the commute to K-Ville requires a bus ride on the C1 — which stops running just after midnight. 

Members of the “Slim Reaping” tent described one night in K-Ville where grace was called after 2 a.m., forcing the group to find an Uber in the wee hours of the night to travel back to East Campus. First-year Sean Fang even opted to spend the night in the tent rather than find his way back home.

“I was one of the only two people who slept in the tent [that] night,” he said. “… I don't really mind sleeping in the harsh outdoors. I knew I had an 8:30 [a.m. class the next] morning on West [Campus], and so I didn’t Uber back with my guys. I just slept in the tent.”

Further complicating the first-year tenting experience, fraternity rush fell in the middle of the first — and most intense — week of black tenting, while sorority rush fell during the first weekend of blue tenting.

“​​I had a little bit of a shift, and then I had to go to an event for one of the fraternities, then I had to come back at 12 a.m., shower, change as quick as I can [and] sprint over to West, only to sleep there for 30 minutes then get kicked back to East,” Tarro said. “It was really chaotic.”

Rush not only made matters difficult for hopeful pledges but sometimes placed a higher tenting burden on those not participating in rush — who were forced to pick up the slack. 

“This really tests the bonds of our friendships,” Fang said. “Even when some of us have rush events that come up, even last-minute events that came out a few hours before our shift, our friends will reach out to see if they can cover us so we can go to our rush events.”

Teamwork is paramount for the success of tenting teams. 

“It’s sometimes hard to remember that I'm on three hours of sleep, but so [is everyone else],” Coulter said.

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The Sion King

Finding community

Despite all odds, students often walk out of the frigid weeks in K-Ville having formed close-knit communities through the shared, challenging experience. 

For the Siontologists — from crafting Instagram reels to making an official website for the Church of Siontology — they’ve embraced creativity and humor during their time tenting.

“I think it's fun because most of us didn't know each other fully, so we've gotten a lot closer just [being] able to hang out in the tent,” said senior Emily McReynolds, a member of the Siontologists.

Tarro added that while tent groups are fighting for a spot in Cameron Indoor Stadium, they ultimately look out for one another, even sharing supplies when needed.

So, with the tenting season at a close, this year’s tenters will see their hard work pay off as they step into the bustling Cameron.

“[We’re] just playing a part in this historic Duke tradition and having fun with our friends while we're doing it,” Pathy said. 


Rebecca Fan

Rebecca Fan is a Trinity sophomore and a staff reporter for the news department.


Sarah Diaz

Sarah Diaz is a Trinity first-year and a staff reporter for the news department.

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