UNC Stuns Duke at the Buzzer, But Court Storming Chaos Steals the Spotlight
CHAPEL HILL - Saturday night in Chapel Hill was everything you'd expect from a Duke-UNC rivalry game - high stakes, high drama, and a finish that’ll be talked about for years. But while the Tar Heels pulled off a thrilling 71-68 win over the Blue Devils thanks to Seth Trimble’s clutch three-pointer with 0.4 seconds left, what happened after the buzzer is drawing just as much attention as the game itself.
Let’s start with the basketball. Duke led this one wire-to-wire - until the final half-second.
Up 68-62 with under a minute to go, it looked like the Blue Devils were going to escape the Dean Dome with a statement win. But UNC had other ideas, ripping off a 9-0 run capped by Trimble’s dagger from deep.
The shot sent the crowd into a frenzy - and then, onto the court.
Fans swarmed the floor in celebration, believing the game was over. Officials eventually ruled there was still time left, forcing a pause in the chaos while the court was cleared for one final possession.
Duke had a chance - a long shot, sure - but the inbounds pass slipped through Isaiah Evans’ hands, and that was that. Cue the second court storm of the night.
But the postgame scene turned ugly. According to Duke head coach Jon Scheyer, the celebration quickly became a safety concern for his team and staff.
"For me, it's hard to talk about the game when I was most concerned just for the safety of our players after the game," Scheyer said in his postgame press conference. "I got staff members that got punched in the face. My family, pushing people away, trying to not get trampled - and that's not what this game is about."
Scheyer made it clear he wasn’t trying to take away from UNC’s performance. The Tar Heels earned the win. But his concern was with what happened after the final whistle.
"I don't have any issue with court storming," he added. "I just shouldn't have people getting punched in the face.
Shouldn't put our players in a position where they're face to face with people who can do anything at that time. And it just takes one reaction."
Scheyer even said he found himself physically pushing fans away in an effort to shield his players. "They won, they should celebrate," he said. "But just let's get our guys off safely."
UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham addressed the situation after the game, offering a public apology to Scheyer and his family. He acknowledged the chaos and said the school would be reviewing video footage to better understand what happened.
"When they rushed the court, a number of people got knocked over," Cunningham said. "So again, I apologize to Coach, his family, and obviously if somebody got injured, that's just really, really disappointing. But we'll do the best we can to make sure that doesn't happen."
Cunningham confirmed that someone was indeed injured during the melee, though Duke declined to identify which staff member was assaulted.
This isn’t the first time court storming has created issues in the ACC. The conference implemented a fine structure after Duke’s Kyle Filipowski was caught in a similar situation at Wake Forest in 2024. The current policy sets fines at $50,000 for a first offense, $100,000 for a second, and $200,000 for a third within a two-year span.
Saturday’s game - a classic in terms of basketball - now comes with a difficult postscript. The Tar Heels snapped a three-game losing streak to Duke and did it in the most dramatic fashion imaginable. But the conversation now shifts from Trimble’s heroics to the safety protocols that failed in the final moments.
In the end, this rivalry delivered the kind of moment that defines college basketball - but also a reminder that celebration can’t come at the cost of safety. As both programs and the ACC review what happened, one thing is clear: court storming, for all its emotion and tradition, needs a better plan when the stakes - and the crowds - get this high.