Duke staff members 'punched in the face' during UNC court storming, says Jon Scheyer

Duke coach Jon Scheyer said he had staff members “that got punched in the face” during a chaotic court storming at North Carolina on Saturday night. The moment overshadowing a dramatic finish in the sport’s most storied rivalry.

The incident followed the Duke Blue Devils’ 71-68 loss at North Carolina on a last-second 3-pointer by Seth Trimble that sent fans pouring onto the court not once, but twice inside the Dean E. Smith Center.

“For me it’s hard to talk about the game when I was most concerned just for the safety of our players after the game,” Scheyer said in his postgame remarks. “I don’t want to make it about that, because Carolina played a great game to win. But I got staff members that got punched in the face. My family was pushing people away, trying not to get trampled. That’s not what this game is about.”

Trimble’s 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining initially appeared to beat the buzzer, prompting an immediate court rush. Officials reviewed the play and ruled that time remained, forcing arena staff to clear the floor so Duke could run one final play. When the Blue Devils’ desperation attempt failed, fans stormed the court again, creating what Scheyer described as a “scary ending.”

What North Carolina said after the incident 

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham apologized to Scheyer before addressing the media. He confirmed that someone associated with the Duke program was injured but did not provide specifics.

“When they rushed the court, a number of people got knocked over,” Cunningham said. “But then we had to clear the court again. Obviously, if somebody got injured, that’s really disappointing. My apologies to Duke for that.”

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College basketball can do better 

The incident reignited concerns about player and staff safety during court stormings, an issue that has lingered across college basketball in recent years. 

“They won, they should celebrate,” Scheyer said. “But we’ve got to get our guys off safely."

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Saturday’s chaos ensured the rivalry’s latest chapter will be remembered. 

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