Duke Blue Devils Basketball

The Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball team has long been considered one of the top college basketball teams in the United States. Listed fourth nationally for all-time wins (2273) as well as winning percentage (.712), the Blue Devils have posted even more impressive results in the NCAA postseason March Madness tournament, racking up an overall win percentage of .755 leading to 17 Final Four appearances. It took the Devils quite some time to bring home their first championship, however, with four close calls in finals where the team finished runners-up, but the breakthrough finally came in 1991 under the leadership of legendary coach Mike Krzyzewkski. Krzyzewkski was to stand at the helm of Duke’s basketball program for an incredible 42 years (1980-2022), guiding the Blue Devils to 9 NCAA finals from which he won all 5 of Duke’s NCAA championships. Krzyzewkski retired at the age of 75 after the 2021-2022 season, praised as not just one of the greatest college coaches of all time but among the greatest ever basketball coaches (Krzyzewkski turned down numerous lucrative NBA job offers to remain at Duke). Many Blue Devils alumni that he coached have gone on to star in the NBA, including Grant Hill and Jeff Mullins, and current stars Kyrie Irving, Zion Williamson, and Jayson Tatum. In recent years, the Blue Devils have remained among the top contenders in the annual NCAA March Madness tournament, progressing to the Final Four on 6 occasions since 1999, from which the team emerged runners-up once (1999) and won the NCAA championship three times (2001, 2010, 2015). 2022-2023 was a below-par season, however, as the Blue Devils bowed out 65-52 to the Tennessee Volunteers in the second round of NCAA March Madness. The Devils’ passionate fan base will be hoping for much more in 2024 and beyond. 

How can I get cheap tickets to Duke Blue Devils games?

Cameron Indoor Stadium, home to the Duke Blue Devils, is a rather small venue by NCAA standards, especially for such a successful and popular team. Home games are often sold out weeks or even months in advance. Along with the Blue Devils’ strength at both conference and national levels, the high number of team alumni such as Grant Hill, Jeff Mullins, Kyrie Irving, and Jayson Tatum who have moved on to light up the NBA also attracts fans looking for the next big star. All this enthusiasm is fantastic, but it can make tickets difficult to get your hands on, particularly for postseason tournament games, key conference deciders, or rivalry matchups (see below). To find all the cheapest tickets to Duke Blue Devils games, check the TicketX listings on this page and use our handy TicketX seating chart to compare prices and locations. Tickets can be purchased from TicketX at a single click for the lowest commission fees! 

Duke Blue Devils Basketball Rivalries

A basketball team from an exclusive private university with a reputation for academic as well as sporting excellence is always going to provoke its fair share of rivals. That said, if you ask anyone from Duke about rivals, they will likely tell you that they only have one: the North Carolina Tar Heels. Located just a 15 minute drive away from one another along Highway 15-501, the Tar Heels (Michael Jordan’s alma mater) and Blue Devils’ rivalry has been described as one of the most intense in American sports, founded on true animosity between not just the two teams but the town’s universities and whole populations. The overall series stands at 144-117 in favor of the Tar Heels, but the Blue Devils are currently riding high on an emotional 94-93 victory in 2023. 

Are Duke Blue Devils basketball games exciting?

In spite of its relatively small size by modern NCAA standards, Cameron Indoor Stadium the place is still famed for its timeless feel (built in 1940, it is one of the few college arenas to still feature backboards that hang down from the ceiling) as well as its fantastic atmosphere. Legions of blue-clad fans, known as the Cameron Crazies, have been known to cheer at decibel levels similar to those of a buzz saw in support of their Blue Devils. Students are so eager to get tickets to big games (especially against the Tar Heels!) that they actually camp outside the arena in tents for months (!), a tradition described under the completely unpronounceable nickname of Krzyzewkskiville.