Editor’s Note: This story is the fourth story of our five-part series highlighting an anonymous poll with ACC basketball players at ACC Tipoff in Charlotte ahead of the 2025-26 season. The Fayetteville Observer/USA TODAY Network broke down the best players, underrated players, top coaches, arenas and NCAA Tournament expansion.
Conference realignment has shifted the landscape of college basketball, but some things never change.
The ACC was formed with eight universities in 1953. Now, in 2025, there are 18 teams competing for an ACC basketball championship. But even in a coast-to-coast conference, the ACC’s players still credit four original members of the league for what their arenas provide as a road environment.
During interviews with The Fayetteville Observer and USA TODAY Network, ACC basketball players answered several questions in an anonymous poll. In part three of our five-part series, we asked players which ACC arena has the best road atmosphere.
Here’s a breakdown of the 27 responses.
Duke basketball’s Cameron Indoor Stadium
It’s not surprising to see the Blue Devils top the poll with 16 votes, nine more than second-place UNC. A college basketball cathedral, Cameron Indoor Stadium is a 9,314-seat gym that has sold out every Duke home game since 1990. Known for its crazy, closing-in-on-the-court atmosphere with the Cameron Crazies right on top of the court, Cameron remains a bucket-list destination for fans, players and coaches alike. During Jon Scheyer’s three seasons as head coach of the Blue Devils, Duke has a 48-3 record at Cameron Indoor Stadium, including undefeated records at Cameron in two of those three seasons. As one player said: