North Carolina basketball stunnedDukein an upset so nice,it stormed the court twice.
On what looked to be the final possession of a 68-68 game, North Carolina guard Derek Dixon drove to the basket and kicked it out to Seth Trimble in the corner. Trimble hit what appeared to be a buzzer-beating 3 to give the Tar Heels a 71-68 win to hand Duke its second loss of the season,kicking off a party in Chapel Hillthat started with storming the court.
REQUIRED READING:Duke vs UNC basketball highlights: Tar Heels win on last-second shot
The problem is, that party kicked off a bit early. After review, officials found that there were still 0.4 seconds on the clock, sending UNC fans shambling back to their seats or the sidelines and kicking off a clean-up on the court. Luckily, the court clearing was handled expeditiously, and they were able to finish the game.
THIS RIVALRY DOES NOT DISAPPOINT ‼️SETH TRIMBLE GAME-WINNER FOR NORTH CAROLINA 🔥pic.twitter.com/uVsOm9DIav
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter)February 8, 2026
No. 4 Duke fell to 21-2 on the year, whereas No. 18 North Carolina advanced to 19-4. North Carolina only led for the final 0.4 seconds of the game, and staved off its fourth straight loss to the Blue Devils.
While Trimble will go down as the hero, it was the efforts of Caleb Wilson that had the Tar Heels in a position to win. He had 23 points and played the full 40 for UNC, going toe-to-toe with Blue Devils star Cameron Boozer, who put up 24 points in 38 minutes despite some early foul trouble.
Duke and North Carolina will play again on March 7, undoubtedly with some more vitriol than usual coming in. The only emotion stronger than the love these teams have of beating each other is the hatred of losing to each other. Duke has a month to reckon with that feeling, which came in heartbreaking fashion.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:UNC basketball stuns Duke on late 3-pointer, court stormed early
