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Thousands of 色中色students poured into the Dean E. Smith Center for the men鈥檚 basketball game against Pittsburgh last month. They showed up and did their job: loudly cheering on the Tar Heels to a dramatic 67-66 victory.

But some of their peers actually reported for work.

Meet four UNC-Chapel Hill students who clocked in when the Tar Heels took the court.

The first person you encounter when entering the Smith Center is the person scanning your ticket. For those at Gate B, that might be Olivia Stone.

Stone, a senior, worked the game with her club volleyball teammates to raise money for the team. 鈥淣ationals for volleyball is in Phoenix, Arizona, which is the big cost,鈥� she says.

Stone鈥檚 been scanning tickets for three years now, usually working three games a year. She encounters all sorts of fans: Young children being introduced to Tar Heel basketball. Old timers whose fandom spans decades. Fanatics with 色中色Blue paint covering every inch of their face.

While Stone doesn鈥檛 get to see the action on the court, she can definitely hear it.

鈥淟ast year, I think it was Cormac Ryan hitting a three in a really crucial time, and the whole arena just erupted,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 turned around and was so confused about what happened. But just being able to hear the excitement was so cool.鈥�

Now that you made it inside, you might want something to eat. If you鈥檙e in the mood for pizza, you could run into Kasual Marley at the Gate A Domino鈥檚 stand.

Marley has been working concessions at men鈥檚 basketball games (and nearly every other Tar Heel sporting event) each of her four years at Carolina. A family friend told her about the job, and she thought working game days sounded intriguing. 鈥淭he atmosphere is always fun,鈥� she says.

The convenience of an on-campus job and the chance to 鈥渄o work that doesn鈥檛 feel like work鈥� keep her around.

Marley has become friends with co-workers and enjoys seeing the familiar faces of ushers and arena support staff. She recognizes certain fans from years of experience and gets a kick out of serving her friends.

Marley tries to work as many games as she can but still shows up as a fan from time to time. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so funny when I see my co-workers because they鈥檙e like, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e not working today?鈥� I鈥檓 like, 鈥楴o, I鈥檓 just watching!鈥� she says with a laugh.

You鈥檝e made it to your seat just as starting lineups are announced.

As the Tar Heels and Panthers get ready to tip off, athletics department intern Ben Mihailovich sits courtside at the scorer鈥檚 table with his headset on.

How鈥檇 he get this sweet seat? As a member of the live stats crew, the junior is one of four employees intently watching every second of the 40-minute game and tracking every made or missed shot, rebound, assist, block, steal, foul and any other statistic you can think of.

The stats you see displayed on the Smith Center鈥檚 video boards and on your phone鈥檚 ESPN app start with Mihailovich and the rest of the crew.

鈥淥nce the ball is tipped and once you start calling, I鈥檓 very locked in,鈥� Mihailovich says.

He鈥檚 responsible for rapidly tracking everything he sees on the far end of the court to his right. Another person quickly inputs the data into a live tracking system on a computer.

鈥淏eing able to sit courtside at a UNC basketball game, considering the history of the program, how many people are here, the quality of the matchups … it鈥檚 not going to get much better,鈥� he says.

After the Tar Heels close out the win with a defensive stop, you and other fans head toward the exits.

But Shelby Swanson鈥檚 work is just getting started. The senior is reporting on the game for The News & Observer and preparing to interview Tar Heel players her same age and coach Hubert Davis.

Swanson, the former Daily Tar Heel sports editor, interned for the Raleigh paper last summer and has since continued her coverage of area sports. As a first-year, a trip to Arizona to cover the women鈥檚 basketball team in the postseason was 鈥渢he moment that solidified鈥� journalism for her.

She likes to arrive to the arena about 90 minutes early. She鈥檚 already done homework on the matchup by that point but likes to chat with fellow reporters and team staff.

From press seating, Swanson takes notes on key moments, looking for turning points within the game and important storylines.

When talking with sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau after the win, she asks questions about topics that plenty are interested in (what practice was like this week) and others that might fly under the radar, like the significance of Cadeau鈥檚 linked fingers after forcing a Pittsburgh miss at the buzzer. 鈥淚t means locked up,鈥� he explains.

Swanson says she aims to 鈥減rovide something different鈥� to readers. After interviews, she puts her deadline writing skills to use and of the Tar Heel win while making a Looney Tunes reference.

By then, a day鈥檚 work for Swanson and other student employees is complete.