Duke’s Jon Scheyer Decries Physical Behavior After North Carolina Fans Storm Court Twice

The Blue Devils coach said staff were “punched in the face” and he was concerned about his players and their families safety during the Tar Heels’ celebration.

North Carolina guard Seth Trimble leaps with forward Zayden High after hitting the game-winning shot against Duke. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

It appears we’re headed toward another court-storming controversy after the chaos at the end of No. 14 North Carolina’s buzzer-beating, 71–68 win over No. 4 Duke. 

In addition to the chaos of having to clear the court once the officials added 0.4 seconds to the clock following Tar Heels senior guard Seth Trimble’s game-winning three, Duke coach Jon Scheyer said postgame he was “concerned about the safety” of his players. In his opening statement, Scheyer said Blue Devils staff members were “punched in the face” and he was concerned about players and their families getting trampled. 

Seth Trimble dagger at the buzzer. A full on court storm after UNC-Duke. A scene I’ve never seen in all my life. pic.twitter.com/VemOgff3bQ

— Will Dalton (@thewilldalton) February 8, 2026

“That’s not what this game is about,” Scheyer said. “That was a scary ending. This rivalry is not about that.” 

For what it’s worth, Scheyer said he isn’t opposed to court storming, but said he feels his team needs time to be able to exit the floor safely before fans start rushing. 

Scheyer: "I think court storming is fine. We just shouldn't be having people be punched in face... it just takes one reaction."

"I'm all for court storming. If they want to court storm, court storm. Let's just get our guys off safely."

— Brian Rauf (@brauf33) February 8, 2026

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham apologized after the game to Scheyer and Duke for what happened.

After trailing the entire game, the Tar Heels rallied to tie the game with 1 minute, 40 seconds left. Trimble hit a would-be winner and fans stormed the court before officials put 0.4 seconds back on the clock. The court was cleared and needed to be cleaned up before the final 0.4 was played.

Trimble is the only player on either team in his fourth year in the program. He has experienced some unbelievable highs and lows in his Carolina career and certainly in this rivalry. Trimble himself tested the portal after his sophomore year when he didn’t get consistent playing time but elected to come back, and stuck around again after a nightmare 2024–25. Now, he has a legendary piece of the story for himself.

Tar Heels freshman Caleb Wilson led North Carolina with 23 points, while Trimble finished with 16 points. Duke freshman Cameron Boozer led all scorers with 24 points and added 11 rebounds.

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