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.
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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.
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ACC’S UNDERRATED PLAYERS: Duke basketball has underrated players? Here are results from ACC anonymous player poll
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ACC’S BEST PLAYERS: Is Markus Burton the ACC’s best player? Here are results from anonymous player poll
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: “Fans are loud, mean, and the team is always good. That’s tough.”
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UNC basketball’s Dean Smith Center
UNC is exploring the possibility of building a new arena to replace the Dean E. Smith Center, which opened in 1986. But ACC players still love visiting the venue, with the “Dean Dome” receiving seven votes in the poll. According to the NCAA’s 2025 attendance summary, UNC was No. 1 in average attendance at 20,521 in an arena that has a seating capacity of 21,750. When asked what makes the Smith Center a good road atmosphere, one player said, “There’s just so much blue, so many banners and so many people.”
NC State basketball’s Lenovo Center
It’s not Reynolds Coliseum, one of the most underrated gyms among the historic sites in the sport, but Lenovo Center’s atmosphere is less about the arena and more about N.C. State fans. With a seating capacity of 19,700, attendance was down during a losing season. But first-year coach Will Wade has promised a “red reckoning,” with a roster that looks primed for a bounce-back campaign. The season opener is sold out and there should be plenty of red at Lenovo Center this season. Three ACC players voted for the venue, with one saying, “Those fans are rude and relentless. They’re right behind the bench. Good or bad game, they never shut up.”
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Clemson basketball’s Littlejohn Coliseum
The Tigers prevented a Tobacco Road sweep, earning one vote from a player who said Littlejohn Coliseum “is small and sneaky tough.” Clemson had a 15-2 record last season inside the 9,000-seat arena, including victories over Duke, UNC and Kentucky. It was the only ACC loss for the Blue Devils.
Brooks Holton of the Louisville Courier Journal contributed to this report. Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: ACC basketball top arenas, according to anonymous player poll
