Word on the street: How do Duke students feel about the upcoming rivalry game?
Sara Heilman, a sophomore and public policy major, at Duke University stands in front of her tent at Krzyzewskiville in Durham, N.C. on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020.
Duke students are an enigma — they regularly line up in tents months in advance for a shot to see their Blue Devils take on North Carolina.
To get the opinion of some of college sports' most dedicated — and possibly deranged — fans, The Daily Tar Heel went out to Krzyzewskiville to talk to Duke students who had signed their lives away to sit in a tent all day.
Sara Heilman, a sophomore and public policy major, at Duke University stands in front of her tent at Krzyzewskiville in Durham, N.C. on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020.
Sara Heilman, sophomore public policy major
Have you been keeping up with UNC's men's basketball season so far?
I'm from Chapel Hill, so I was raised a Tar Heel fan, which could get me in trouble to say here. But I haven't really been keeping up too much with the season. I don't want to talk too much trash. But, I would say although I'm not super up-to-date, I'm pretty hopeful for how the Duke/UNC game will go as a Duke student.
How do you think the first game in Chapel Hill is going to go?
I'm very hopeful for Duke. I will say, I think we had to find our footing a little bit at the beginning of the season. And also, I never really hope for an undefeated season because I feel like there's too much pressure on the team when it gets farther down the line. I hope we don't trip up being in enemy territory. I feel like it'll go well for us. I'm one not to be too harsh on UNC because I'm from the area. Of course, I'm hoping for a Duke win, but it won't be the end of the world for me if it goes the other way.
As a Duke student, how embarrassing was it to lose as the No. 1 ranked team to an unranked team?
It was a sad, sad night for us. I was in a dorm room with like eight students, all just heads in our hands. But like I said, I think we needed the painful loss to rally again, so I'm glad that it happened early on in the season, so hopefully, we can pull it together for the more important teams.
Jack Nichols, a sophomore political science major at Duke University, stands in front of his tent at Krzyzewskiville in Durham, N.C. on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020.
Jack Nicholas, sophomore political science major
Have you been keeping up with UNC's men's basketball team this season?
Somewhat. I haven't been following them because they haven't been as good.
How do you think the first game in Chapel Hill is going to go?
I've been a Duke fan my whole life, so I think it's going to be as competitive as any Duke/UNC game. I don't think this year really matters about what players either team has. It's always a good game.
As a Duke student, how embarrassing was it to lose as the No. 1 ranked team to an unranked team?
Yeah, I was at that game, it was pretty shocking. It was also a late game, and it went to overtime. It was just all bad, just a big punch to the gut.
Louis Jensen, a junior and electrical and computer engineering major at Duke University, stands in front of his tent at Krzyzewskiville in Durham, N.C. on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
Audrey Costly, an undecided first-year at Duke University, stands in front of her tent at Krzyzewskiville in Durham, N.C. on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020.
Audrey Costly, first-year, undecided
Have you been keeping up with UNC's men's basketball team this season?
More or less, yeah.
How do you think the first game in Chapel Hill is going to go?
I don't know, I mean they seem to be bouncing back a little bit, so I think it'll be fairly competitive. I think it's always competitive between the two teams.
As a Duke student, how embarrassing was it to lose as the No. 1 ranked team to an unranked team?
Not great, but I think having a few losses is inevitable, so it's sort of a good learning moment.
Thomas Ross, and undecided first-year at Duke University, stands in front of his tent in Krzyzewskiville in Durham, N.C. on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020.
Thomas Ross, first-year, undecided
Have you been keeping up with UNC's men's basketball team this season?
A little bit.
How do you think the first game in Chapel Hill is going to go?
We'll see, I don't know if Cole Anthony is going to be back, so I know it's a Tobacco Road rivalry, so anything can happen. I'm feeling pretty good about our team.
As a Duke student, how embarrassing was it to lose as the No. 1 ranked team to an unranked team?
It was awful, I was at the game. It was really sad. Just a bad time.
