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Duke Blue Devils staff members “got punched in the face” as North Carolina Tar Heels fans stormed the field to celebrate their rivalry’s victory, head coach Jon Scheyer said Saturday.
No. 14 North Carolina topped No. 4 Duke, 71-68, after Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining. Tar Heels fans arrived on the field thinking the game was over, but had to be returned to their seats once officials added less than a second to the clock.
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Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts in the first half at the Dean E. Smith Center on February 7, 2026. (Bob Donnan/Imagn Images)
Scheyer said some team personnel were hit during the scuffle.
“For me, it’s difficult to talk about the game when I was most concerned about the safety of our players after the game,” Scheyer said. “I don’t want to talk about it, because Carolina played a great game to win. And it’s a heartbreaking loss for our team.
“I’ve had staff members get punched in the face. My family, pushing people away, trying not to get stepped on. 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 about the injuries.
“When they rushed the court, a number of people were knocked down,” Cunningham said. “But then we had to clear the field again, so when we normally have something like just rushing onto the field and the game is over, we have a line by the benches to get people down safely.
North Carolina fans speak and celebrate after the team beat 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 anyone gets hurt, it’s really, really disappointing. We’ll do our best to make sure that doesn’t happen, but again, my apologies to Duke for that.”
A Duke official told several media outlets that someone connected to the program was injured, but had no further details.
Scheyer and Duke had a similar incident after Duke’s loss to Wake Forest in 2022. Then-Blue Devils player Kyle Filipowski was left shaken 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 thinks it should be banned.
“We just shouldn’t have people getting punched in the face,” he said. “You don’t want to put our players in a position where they’re face to face with people who can do anything at that moment. It only 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 celebrate. They want to fight, fight. But let’s let our guys go safely, that’s all. That’s where I’m at.”
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Duke fell to 21-2 on the season with the loss. North Carolina improved to 19-4.
