Watching a Duke basketball game at Cameron Indoor Arena is just one of those things that every true sports fan should do before they die. Much like watching the antics of Papi and Manny at Fenway, observing the Knicks’ futility at Madison Square Garden or marveling at Brett Favre’s seemingly endless career at Lambeau Field, the excitement and ambiance that accompanies sports’ greatest venues is almost indescribable. No one’s account can really do the experience justice; you just have to see it for yourself.

I was lucky enough to attend the Duke-Cornell basketball game over Winter Break with four of my friends, and there is no doubt in my mind that the experience was worth 16 hours of driving. Although I have already written the formal recap of the game, here is the real story of what transpired in Durham, N.C. on Jan. 6, 2008.

As soon as I walked into the arena just after tipoff, I felt bombarded by noise and heat. Cameron Indoor only houses about 10,000 fans, but, much like Fenway Park, they all seem to be right on top of the court. All I remember thinking was, “Why the hell are there so many people here for a Cornell game?” Despite the fact that Duke University was still not in session and the No. 8 team in the nation was playing an Ivy League squad, there was not an empty seat in the house, and it felt and sounded more like the Super Bowl than a college basketball game. That kind of devotion to collegiate athletics is something I envy and, as I mentioned in a previous column, it is painfully absent here at Cornell.

Tags: hold back emotions

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