DURHAM, N.C. — Renowned throughout sports as a home-court advantage like no other, Duke won't have its famed, raucous Cameron Crazies in the stands when games begin at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Nov. 25.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the university's administration announced Tuesday it is continuing the no spectator policy for athletic events that's already been in place for fall sports, like football.
"As Duke University continues to be an industry leader per providing a safe environment for intercollegiate athletic competition, the decision to maintain our non-spectator protocol is imperative for the overall health and safety of the Blue Devil fan base, student-athletes, coaches and support staff, notwithstanding the immediate campus population comprised of students, faculty and staff," Duke vice president and athletics director Kevin White said in a statement. "We will continue to embrace the challenges of this unique if not unprecedented time with flexibility and compliance, and can't begin to thank our dedicated, passionate fans enough for their unbridled support."
The Blue Devils are accustomed to playing in an energized atmosphere at their famed arena. Duke enters the new season having sold out its last 472 games at the 9,314-seat Cameron, a streak dating back to Nov. 26, 1990.
Duke has won 84.8% of its games at Cameron, which opened in 1940, and is 549-68 (.890) there during Mike Krzyzewski's 40 seasons as head coach.
"Not having fans is huge, especially for a program like us with the Cameron Crazies so historically involved in our program," Duke sophomore forward Wendell Moore, Jr., said. "It gives us the ultimate home-court advantage. So not having them there will hurt us."
Associate head coach Nate James, a team captain on Duke's 2001 NCAA championship team, said preparing this year's team for a Cameron toned down by a lack of spectators is a challenge.
"It's very foreign, it's an unusual thing to be excited and pumped up for a performance and there's no one in the stands," James told the News & Observer.
The ACC is allowing teams to pipe in artificial crowd noise this season. Moore said the team has experienced that, including during a scrimmage last Friday night, and it does help some.
"We've been preparing in the atmosphere that we are going to play in," Moore said. "In Cameron, we have everything set up with the crowd noise. The atmosphere is great, the atmosphere that everybody put together. It's obviously the safest atmosphere for us and it is the best atmosphere that we can play in now."
Tuesday's announcement does not mean no spectators will be allowed in Cameron for the entire season. The possibility of a protocol change remains should the situation with the pandemic improve.
But, for now, the school will limit attendance to essential game management personnel and media members involved in the game broadcast, like television and radio play-by-play teams.
Parking lots traditionally used by spectators on game days will be closed.
Duke opens the season Nov. 25 against Gardner-Webb. No. 8 Illinois comes to Cameron to play the No. 9 Blue Devils in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 8.
Duke's first ACC home game will be either Dec. 29 or 30 against Pittsburgh.
