You could call them crazy. Really. They wouldn't mind. In fact, after spending the evening in a place where the notoriety of the fan base rivals that of the team, (and the team is No.1 Duke) I'm fairly confident when I say that the inhabitants of Cameron Indoor Stadium would be flattered. After getting the distinct pleasure of hearing their witty commentary and feeling their overwhelming presence -- and I really did feel it, inches away -- I'm inclined to agree with them that "crazy" is more of an accolade than an insult.
But in all honesty, there's no way that you cannot give the Cameron Crazies credit where its so obviously due. When they yell "Our House," you know that it really is theirs. The passion is potent and it's not shocking that Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski mentioned their contribution to the Blue Devils' win within the first two minutes of his post-game comments.
Right along with Shelden Williams' domination and J.J. Redick's drive, Krzyzewski credited the screamers in the stands.
In the opening stanza of last night's game, I may have questioned Krzyzewski's attribution of power to this aura of insanity. I may have scoffed at how much a several minute long period of sustained yelling and two halves of choreographed cheers, chants and jeers could affect a basketball game.
Sure, the Blue Devils could have been feeding off this fire as they came out dominating the Cavaliers.But it also could have been the result of the fact that they were clearly superior players.
Chris Duhon is nothing if not smooth, and Luol Deng has broken out as one of the key factors in Duke's success. What did Virginia have to match that? Yeah,Todd Billet is a workhorse and Elton Brown was turning in a performance that was better than any of recent record.
But Pete Gillen himself admitted that Duke is simply a superior team.
Maybe it was just skill and athleticism that gave the Blue Devils such drive. Maybe that could explain why the Cavaliers seemed like they had spent the bus ride listening to Kenny G and relaxing while the Blue Devils came out with fire, poised and ready to give the Cavaliers a "Welcome to the Jungle."
There just wasn't a fire under the Cavaliers' bench and Virginia became easy fodder for a hungry crowd of Cameron Crazies.
But what convinced me that there is some chemical, electrical power in this passionate desire that overwhelms an arena in which every seat has someone perched on its edge is that, as the game wore on, the craziness even wore off on the Cavaliers, pushing them to within points of the No.1 ranked Blue Devils. Quite a feat for the downtrodden Cavaliers, but proving that they are capable of achieving beyond their own -- or anyone else's -- expectations.
While at times the Cavaliers looked like a group of underachievers with a slack attitude, there were also times when they amazed even themselves.
T.J.Bannister received his first start of the season and went after Duke's Duhon like a little brother with something to prove. Elton Brown shook the chip that seemed to reside on his shoulder throughout the opening stanza and carried some of the slack that appeared when Jason Clark -- and his considerable size -- ceased to be available to the Cavaliers early in the second half.
While Virginia still suffered from an attention span that seems to max out at five minutes and eventually saw their position fade from one within striking distance to a near-20 point loss, they took something else out of this game. It proved that its not that the Cavaliers can't step it up and play with single-minded focus.
In his post-game press conference, Pete Gillen articulated the widespread qualm of earlier games -- that despite their ability and potential, for some reason, the Cavaliers just can't find the passion or the drive to maintain a high level of play for more than six-minute bursts.
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