North Carolina Hit With Huge Five-Digit Fine After Court Storm vs. Duke

North Carolina was a 6.5-point underdog entering Saturday’s rivalry game against Duke, the nation’s No. 4 team. After an impressive second-half comeback and a career-defining shot by Tar Heels senior Seth Trimble to win the game, UNC fans stormed the court not once, but twice, having to return to their seats briefly after referees put 0.4 seconds back on the clock. The extra moment of hope wasn’t enough for the Blue Devils, and the Tar Heels officially secured their biggest win of the season. And with it, their fans hit the court once again for a raucous celebration.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer says he’s is not anti-court storm, but claimed after the game that he was concerned about the safety of his team, and that members of the Blue Devils staff were “punched in the face” during the on-court mayhem.

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

UNC students hitting Jump Around following the (second) court storm pic.twitter.com/1SFPMMWxm7
— Brian Rauf (@brauf33) February 8, 2026

As is ACC policy, North Carolina was hit with a $50,000 fine after the court storm.

Per ACC, UNC will be fined $50,000 for the court-storming situation after the Duke game pic.twitter.com/6Mqd4DNKPK
— Rodd Baxley (@RoddBaxley) February 8, 2026

UNC accepted the fine, but in response said that it reviewed video and found that the school followed protocols to allow Duke’s athletes and staff members to exit safely, despite Scheyer’s statements.

"We accept the ACC's fine for having unauthorized people on the court before Duke and the officials could completely clear the floor on Saturday,” the North Carolina statement reads, via Tar Heel Tribune writer R.L. Bynum. “The video we have reviewed confirms we followed our protocols to get Duke's players and bench personnel and the game officials off the floor safely. We will continue to review our protocols to provide the highest measures of safety in the event fans rush the court. We consider this matter closed and look forward to the rest of the season."

ACC has an escalating fine policy for schools in the event of field and court storms

As the league statement says, this is the first offense for North Carolina, which costs $50,000. A second offense for any school within a two-year window would cost it $100,000. Third and subsequent offenses cost $200,000 each.

The ACC’s policy was adopted following a 2024 upset of Duke by Wake Forest, after which Blue Devils star Kyle Filipowski suffered a knee injury as Demon Deacons fans flooded the court. He said after the game that he believed an opposing fan collided with him intentionally.

North Carolina moves to 19–4 (7–3) with the win and will likely climb from its No. 14 position in the upcoming AP Top 25 update. No. 4 Duke falls to 21–2 and suffered its first loss in conference play to drop to 10–1.

The two Tobacco Road rivals will face off once again at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 7 to conclude the regular season.

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