UNC Reacts to Trimble’s Duke-Sinking Shot

In a long, storied rivalry, UNC guard Seth Trimble entered his name into the list of iconic moments between Duke and North Carolina.

Trimble sank a wide open corner three at the buzzer to secure a 71-68 upset victory for #14 UNC over #4 Duke. Trimble finished with 16 points on 5-7 shooting from the floor, and his game winning shot capped off a 9-0 run in the final minutes for the Tar Heels to steal the win from the Blue Devils.

UNC has now won five games in a row, with this one against Duke being by far their best win of the season. They are now 19-4 overall, and 7-3 in ACC play as they’ve officially entered the mix to contend in the conference.

Feb 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) and teammates react after hitting the game winning shot in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Big takedown, big time

After hitting one of the most iconic shots in the rivalry’s history, Trimble spoke at length about what it means to take down their most notable conference rival at such a pivotal point in the season.

“It means so much,” Trimble said. “This rivalry means so much to me, this university means so much to me. The biggest point of emphasis today was to represent the University of North Carolina, we didn’t really do that for 32 minutes of the game. Those last four minutes, we did that, and I was able to hit a shot.”

Derek Dixon, who made the assist on Trimble’s game winning three-pointer, also re-lived that final play to give UNC its best win of the season. Dixon finished with 8 points and 4 assists in the win.

Feb 2, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Derek Dixon (3) on the free throw line in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Dixon makes great read

“I just had to go in and make the right read,” Dixon said. “I had honestly not been making a lot of great reads early in the game. I drove, I saw Seth in the corner, and I trust our senior captain to knock it down and he did.”

Additionally, Henri Veesaar, who finished with a 13-point, and 11-rebound double-double, described what he saw on the final play in regulation.

Feb 2, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) grabs a rebound in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

“I saw that ball go to Seth, and just looking at the shot, I was saying like, ‘Is that going in? It looks good, it looks good,’ and it went in. Just being able to see that, and everybody running on the court, the whole team just being able to hype each other up, we all felt great, and just being able to do that is amazing.”

The Tar Heels will look to keep the ball rolling after grabbing the nation’s attention as a dangerous team to watch for in March. After slumping at the start of ACC play, UNC has seemed to figure it out of late, and they’ll look to carry it into the NCAA Tournament.

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