
The latest chapter of the Duke vs. North Carolina rivalry lived up to the hype and then some Saturday with the drama extending past the game itself. After trailing by as many as 13 points in the second half, No. 14 North Carolina rallied down the stretch to secure a dramatic 71-68 win over No. 4 Duke after star guard Seth Trimble knocked down a 3-pointer before the buzzer sounded.
But the drama was hardly over.
After Trimble hit his shot, the clock showed nothing but zeros and North Carolina fans stormed the court. Following a video review, it was determined there was time remaining on the clock (0.4 seconds) for Duke. That meant all the fans had to be cleared off the court before they stormed it again when the game was (officially) final.
In the midst of the court storm(s), Duke coach Jon Scheyer described the situation as a "scary ending" while saying that members of his staff got "punched in the face."
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"It's hard to talk about the game when I was most concerned for the safety of our players," Scheyer said in his postgame press conference. "I don't wanna make it about that because Carolina, they played a great game to win. And that's a heartbreaking loss for our team. I got staff members that got punched in the face. My family, pushing people away trying to not get trampled. That's not what this game is about. ... That was a scary ending."
North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham apologized after the game for the court storming and confirmed at least one person was injured.
"Rivalry games are tremendous," Cunningham said. "Court stormings are absolutely fabulous. It's really tough. I feel for our event staff. When they rushed the court, a number of people got knocked over. But then we had to clear the court again. So, when we normally have something like just rushing the court when the game is over we do have a line by the benches to get people off safely. Again, I apologize to (Scheyer), his family and obviously if someone got injured, that's really disappointing."
This weekend wasn't the first time Duke has been on the wrong side of a court storming. In 2024, former Duke star Kyle Filipowski injured his knee after Wake Forest fans rushed to the center of the floor following an upset win.