Duke head coach Jon Scheyer addressed the chaotic court-storming incident in Chapel Hill following North Carolina’s dramatic 71-68 upset victory over No. 4 Duke on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at the Dean E. Smith Center. The game ended with UNC guard Seth Trimble hitting a go-ahead 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining, sparking an immediate rush of jubilant Tar Heels fans onto the court. Officials reviewed the play, determined time remained, cleared the floor for Duke’s final possession (which yielded no shot), and then fans stormed again when the clock hit zero—leading to two separate surges.
In his postgame press conference, Scheyer expressed deep concern over player and staff safety amid the frenzy, stating that the scene overshadowed the on-court result. He opened by saying it was difficult to discuss the game because he was “most concerned just for the safety of our players after the game.” He elaborated: “I got staff members that got punched in the face. My family, pushing people away, trying to not get trampled. That’s not what this game is about.”
Scheyer credited UNC for earning the win—”Carolina played a great game to win and that’s a heartbreaking loss for our team”—and emphasized he did not want to detract from their achievement. However, he described the ending as “scary,” highlighting risks like players being face-to-face with uncontrolled crowds and the potential for escalation: “It just takes one reaction.”
Importantly, Scheyer clarified his stance on court-storming itself. Unlike past comments (e.g., questioning bans after incidents like the 2024 Wake Forest game where Duke’s Kyle Filipowski was injured), he said: “I think court storming is fine. I don’t have any issue with court storming.” He added that fans should celebrate victories—”They won, they should celebrate. They want to court-storm, court-storm”—but stressed the need for protocols: “Just let us get our guys off safely first. That’s it.” He reiterated: “Just shouldn’t have people getting punched in the face. Shouldn’t put our players in position where they’re face-to-face with people who can do anything at that time.”
UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham publicly apologized for the chaos, acknowledging that fans knocked people over during the rushes (exacerbated by the premature initial storm with time left). The ACC subsequently fined UNC $50,000 on Sunday for violating the league’s event security policy.
The incident reignited broader debates on court-storming safety in college basketball, particularly in high-stakes rivalry games like Duke-UNC, where emotions run high. Scheyer’s comments focused on prevention of harm rather than elimination of the tradition, calling for better management to protect visiting teams during exits.
This marked another chapter in the storied rivalry’s postgame drama, but Scheyer’s measured response—balancing frustration with respect for UNC’s performance—underscored a desire for the focus to remain on the competition itself, not the aftermath’s dangers.
