Duke Basketball Appreciates Return of Real Crazies

Prior to the Duke basketball team's 82-75 victory over the No. 24-ranked SMU Mustangs on Saturday afternoon, the No. 6 Blue Devils had played only two home games since defeating the then-No. 15 Florida Gators in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Dec. 2. And neither of those outings — wins over the Lipscomb Bisons and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets — took place with a full cast of students in the bleachers, as most were home for Winter Break.

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It's safe to say the Blue Devils enjoyed a return to normalcy when it comes to competing in front of the famed Cameron Crazies.

"I kind of forgot that the students just got back, like, yesterday," sophomore wing Isaiah Evans, who embraced his full-on "Showtime Slim" mode versus SMU to the tune of 21 points and a 4-for-8 clip from three, explained with a smile to Duke Blue Devils On SI in the locker room afterward. "And so, when it filled up like it did, we were like, 'Oh, the students did get back.'

"So, we knew it was gonna be one of those games. It was real electric today."

I asked Isaiah Evans what it was like to play in front of Duke students for the first time in about a month.

Indeed, "Showtime Slim" loves putting on a show for the full-volume Cameron Crazies: pic.twitter.com/SPp4KNonoj
— Matt Giles (@MattGilesBD) January 10, 2026

On the other side of the locker room, senior forward Maliq Brown echoed those sentiments during his chat with Duke Blue Devils On SI.

"It felt like it's been longer than a month," Brown, who drew his first start as a Blue Devil before finishing the bout with three points, three assists, and two steals across 18 minutes on Coach K Court, said about the Cameron Crazies' return to action. "Obviously, we haven't had too many home games back. But it's been good, you know, seeing the Cameron Crazies back. There's nothing like them."

My chat with first-time Duke basketball starter Maliq Brown, who had high praise for the huge efforts off the bench from Cayden Boozer and Patrick Ngongba II: pic.twitter.com/E9IqIcziUx
— Matt Giles (@MattGilesBD) January 10, 2026

The Duke basketball slate now sends the Blue Devils (15-1, 4-0 ACC) to California for two straight contests: versus the unranked Cal Golden Bears (13-4, 1-3 ACC) in Haas Pavilion at 11 p.m. ET Wednesday (ACC Network) and the unranked Stanford Cardinal (13-4, 2-2 ACC) in Maples Pavilion at 6 p.m. ET Saturday (ACC Network).

They'll then return to the friendly confines of Cameron for a home bout against the unranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 5:45 p.m. ET (The CW Network).

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.

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