Not a peep could be heard across the Quad. The only light flashed from a sign in front of Hendricks Chapel. The light wind carried the brisk air much warmer than years past.

Tucked underneath a set of stairs lay nine tents outside the Carrier Dome’s Gate E. For 76 hours leading up to Syracuse’s game against Duke — Syracuse University’s marquee home game of the season — the perimeter of the southwest entrance goes by a different name.

Welcome to Boeheimburg.

A Chobani yogurt container sat outside of a tent. An empty Fritos bag flattened next to another. A Stewart’s root beer bottle stood straight like the tents it was nestled between. The concrete campsite fell silent as 1 a.m. approached on Tuesday morning. Forty-two hours until tip-off.

One camper let out a groan.

“I’m freezing my ass off. I’m going to be so cold when I wake up.”

“We got a few hours.”

They know not to give up. The Orange has taught them that the past two seasons. SU has faced a double-digit deficit in six straight games and four of those have been decided by five points or less. Five straight wins salvaged Syracuse’s worst-ever nonconference performance. Last year’s team wasn’t supposed to make the NCAA Tournament. Then it made the Final Four.

Heading into the Orange’s fourth straight home game against a Top 10 opponent, the students are hopeful. They trust head coach Jim Boeheim, the namesake of the makeshift village. They’re nervous about SU’s (16-12, 8-6 Atlantic Coast) NCAA Tournament hopes this year, but they also know a Boeheim-led team could get hot at any time. And it could begin against the No. 10 Blue Devils (22-5, 10-4) on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The group features a collection of people who know their Syracuse history. Chats about Tyler Ennis, C.J. Fair and the Orange’s first ACC game against Duke arise during the 30-degree night. They’re glad they aren’t enduring the sub-zero temperatures for nearly two weeks like campers in 2014 did. They hope Wednesday’s game will be as memorable as that 91-89 overtime thriller that vaulted Syracuse to the nation’s top ranking. That’s unlikely and they know it.

Andrew Perry, a sophomore economics major, wore a Paul VI (Virginia) High School Basketball sweatshirt. That’s the same high school that SU point guard Frank Howard attended. They had the same homeroom class at Paul VI. Perry’s not in touch with Howard any more, but “he was like right next to me in our diploma line,” Perry said.

There’s also Joe Suyemoto, an undeclared freshman in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, whose parents both went to Syracuse. He attended Syracuse’s devastating loss to No. 13 seed Vermont in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. He grew up watching Gerry McNamara and Johnny Flynn. When told Boeheim compared current point guard John Gillon to Flynn at the start of the year, he smirked.

“Well, he’s shown flashes,” Suyemoto said of Gillon.

For three straight meals on Tuesday, Suyemoto’s diet consisted of beef jerky and oranges. He initially brought a George Foreman grill, but a security guard told him he couldn’t keep it with him.

“We got a few burgers in before,” he said. Other campers loaded up on snacks before their night shift started and kept them inside the tent. Two others ordered Calios right before bedtime.

Conversations in Boeheimburg bounce seamlessly from schoolwork to the bubble watch, from controversial promenades to what to watch on Netflix. Some stay entertained by listening to music. Others play card games. Each tent has its go-to activity but everyone is aware of SU’s dwindling Tournament hopes. In the era of connectivity, the common theme is everyone is plugged in to the Orange.

The reason to camp out varies from person to person. Freshman sport management major Justin Saxe recognized that Wednesday’s matchup will be the first between two coaches with over 1,000 wins, excluding the NCAA’s vacation of wins. If associate head coach Mike Hopkins does indeed take Boeheim’s spot after next season, this will also be the last time Boeheim coaches against Duke in the Dome (the Orange only plays the Blue Devils on the road in 2017-18).

Other campers mentioned tradition, pride and the experience as reasons they traded their beds and warm dorms for sleeping bags and air mattresses.

“It’s only 28, 30 degrees,” said Mike Phelan, a freshman chemistry major. “Sweatshirt, sleeping bag — it’s not too bad.”

There’s no doubt life in Boeheimburg is different than recent years. In 2014, SU was amid the national discussion and in contention for a No. 1 seed in the Tournament. In 2015, the Orange was banned from the postseason, but die-hards camped out anyway. Last year, there was no campout game due to Syracuse’s weak home schedule while classes were in session.

Two sleeps before tipoff, the only noise is the hum of the Dome. The campers are resting. They have to. The Orange’s season has been as unpredictable as any other and the last three games could be the wildest part of the rollercoaster. The citizens of Boeheimburg are strapped in, ready to go wherever the ride takes them.

“If this team has taught us anything, it’s that you never know,” Perry said. “That can be a good or bad thing.”

Published on February 21, 2017 at 9:57 pm

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds