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Will Dalton
Feb 8, 2026
Updated at Feb 8, 2026, 14:29
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This rivalry is something special. There's nothing else in sports that comes close to it. 

We just got another epic chapter of UNC-Duke to add to the history books. That shot by a wide open Seth Trimble will be played over and over when this game is played forever.

Duke led the entire game until they didn't against the Tar Heels. That three by Seth Trimble was the first time UNC led in what would be a 71-68 final.

The first half was one story for Duke. Their defense was posing a problem for the Tar Heels and on top of that Carolina was just playing tight in the moment. Caleb Wilson was out there playing hero ball, which while impressive, was not enough and was making Duke look like they were going grind this thing out to the end. 

Duke's defense was also holding Henri Veesaar to a no-show, Cam Boozer was being Cam Boozer, and Dame Sarr was having his best offensive night in a Duke uniform which was a big piece of the Devils taking a 41-29 lead into halftime.

The second half is where everything changed for Duke. Henri Veesaar started to break through offensively and Duke started to find themselves in foul trouble down the stretch of the second half. Pat Ngongba even fouled out late.

One of the things that changed on Carolina's end was despite Cam Boozer, Maliq Brown, and Pat Ngongba all being in foul trouble before halftime, the Heels went from shooting jump shots to finally driving and going straight at those guys and daring them to foul.

The last minute and change is where things got crazy.

Duke led by six. The Smith Center was getting loud. Derek Dixon buried a three to cut the lead to three, then just as quickly Henri Veesaar hit one to tie it at 68. Cam Boozer on the other end went up for a highly contested layup and couldn't get it to go. Timeout Carolina.

Once Carolina in bounded the ball to Derek Dixon, Seth Trimble was found wide open in the corner for a three and buried it. What happened next was something I've never seen before.

A full on court storm after a Carolina-Duke game.

As insane as that was, the PA announcer can be heard over the loud speakers emphatically telling students to get off the floor because there was apparently .4 seconds left.

It took over five minutes to get everybody off the floor to finish out the game, but the final buzzer eventually sounded and the court was stormed a second time. Insanity.

For Duke, the thing that both of their losses to UNC and Texas Tech share is that they were both games that Duke led and lost control of down the stretch defensively.

It's crazy to look back at that final shot by Seth Trimble and see how wide open he was. Not a defender within ten feet of him. 

This is certainly something the Devils and Jon Scheyer will need to get cleaned up as they get closer to March. Even in loss, however, there's no denying that this what yet another chapter and reason that Carolina-Duke is the single greatest rivalry in all of sports.