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Duke Blue Devils staff “got slapped in the face” when North Carolina Tar Heels fans stormed the field to celebrate their rivalry win, head coach Jon Scheyer said Saturday.
No. 14 North Carolina topped No. 4 Duke, 71-68, after Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left. Tar Heels fans came onto the field thinking the game was over, but were forced back to their seats with less than a second left on the clock.
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Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts during the first half at the Dean E. Smith Center on Feb. 7, 2026. (Bob Donnan/Imagn Images)
Scheyer said some of the team’s employees were hit during the incident.
“For me, it’s hard to talk about the game as I was most concerned about the safety of our players after the game,” Scheyer said. “I’m not going to make it about that, for Carolina, they played a great game to win. And it’s a heartbreaking loss for our team.
“I had staff members punched in the face. My family pushed people away, didn’t try to get trampled. That’s not what this game is about.”
North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said he apologized for the incident but did not have details on any injuries.
“As they rushed the court, a number of people were knocked over,” Cunningham said. “But then we had to clear the field again. So when we usually have something like just rush the field and the game is over, we have a line by the benches to get people off safely.
North Carolina fans take the floor and celebrate after the team defeated Duke in the final seconds of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
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“Obviously, if somebody was hurt, it’s just really, really disappointing. We’re going to do the best we can to make sure that doesn’t happen, but again, my apologies to Duke for that.”
A Duke official told multiple outlets that someone associated with the program had been injured, but had no other details.
Scheyer and Duke experienced a similar incident after Duke lost to Wake Forest in 2022. Then-Blue Devils player Kyle Filipowski was shaken up after a Demon Deacon fan collided with him during their celebration.
Scheyer, who wondered in 2022 when court storming would be banned, was asked if he still thought it should be banned.
“Just don’t have people getting punched in the face,” he said. “Shouldn’t put our players in a position where they’re face to face with people who can do something at the time. It just takes one reaction. Even today I had to push people away just to try to protect our players.
North Carolina guard Seth Trimble (7) celebrates with fans after an NCAA college basketball game against Duke, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
“They won, they should be celebrated. They want court storms, court storms. But let’s just get our guys off safely, that’s it. That’s where I’m at with it.”
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Duke fell to 21-2 on the season with the loss. North Carolina improved to 19-4.
