In one of the most chaotic finishes to a college basketball game... ever... the Duke Blue Devils were bested by their rivals, the North Carolina Tar Heels, but it wasn't without drama in the final second or even in the postgame press conference.
When Carolina senior Seth Trimble hit the game-winner, Tar Heel fans stormed the court to celebrate, but there was still time left on the clock. Disorder followed as officials and staff tried to clear the court.
During the mayhem, UNC fans quite literally surrounded Duke players and staff, making them unable to move easily or safely through the crowd. After the game had (actually) ended, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer ripped into his rival's fanbase.
"It's hard to talk about the game when I was most concerned for the safety of our players. I don't wanna make it about that, but... I got staff members that got punched in the face," Scheyer said in the postgame press conference. "That's not what this game is about. That was a scary ending."
UNC's court storming chaos takes away from win
Yes, court storms are inevitable in a rivalry game, especially when the home team is the underdog and on a three-game losing streak to the visitor.
However, the NCAA has to find a way to do a court storm in a safer fashion. Water bottles and punches were thrown by Carolina fans in the direction of Duke's semi-huddle as they simply tried to figure out what to do.
Not to mention the fact that there was still time left on the clock, with 0.6 seconds remaining after Trimble hit the three-point shot.
This wasn’t a storm court where fans and players happened to collide, UNCheat scum actively rushed and attempted to surround the Duke players and coaches. How far their program has fallen that they’re even rushing the court in the first place.
— Duke Digest (@DukeDigest) February 8, 2026
pic.twitter.com/zWaudEAjIP
"When they rushed the court, a number of people got knocked over," said UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham after the game. "I apologize to coach, his family, and obviously, if somebody got injured, that's just really, really disappointing."
Cunningham had confirmed that at least one person, presumably a fan and not a player or coach, had been injured during the initial court storming. Of course, after the actual final buzzer sounded, fans rushed the courts yet again, but the Blue Devils appeared to have an exit strategy for the second time.
"They won, they should celebrate,” Scheyer said. “But just let’s get our guys off safely."
Also read: Duke fans are as infuriated as they are unsurprised by early foul trouble vs. UNC
Of course, Duke will have an opportunity to exact in-game revenge over North Carolina in the second regular-season meeting between the two rivals. However, the Blue Devils also have a perfect opportunity to also remind the Tar Heels what the rivalry is about and how to act after a win.