CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Rivalry games between North Carolina and Duke always promise drama, but Saturday night’s clash at the Smith Center delivered a finish for the ages. With just 0.4 seconds remaining, Seth Trimble launched a three-pointer from the corner—right in front of the Tar Heel bench—that splashed through the net, lifting No. 14 North Carolina to a stunning 71-68 victory over No. 4 Duke. The shot, Trimble’s only lead-seizing basket of the night, instantly etched his name into UNC basketball lore and sent the crowd into a frenzy—twice.
Trimble’s heroics capped a wild comeback for the Tar Heels, who trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half and 11 in the second. It was the first time UNC had beaten Duke with a field goal in the final 10 seconds since Dante Calabria’s tip-in back in 1996, and the closest winning margin in the storied rivalry since Marvin Williams’ and-one stickback in 2005. For Trimble, whose journey through college basketball has been anything but smooth, the moment was a dream come true. “It’s crazy, it’s crazy,” Trimble said after the game. “You dream stuff like this as a kid. You dream of stuff like this even as a grown man before you go to sleep. Man, I never would have thought that would have been me.”
The Tar Heels, now 19-4 overall and 7-3 in the ACC, outscored Duke 9-0 in the final 2:25, shooting a blistering 60.7 percent in the second half while holding the Blue Devils to just 37.5 percent after halftime. The win was UNC’s fifth straight and snapped a three-game losing streak to Duke, while the Blue Devils, who had won 10 straight, fell to 21-2 and 10-1 in the ACC.
But this game was about more than just numbers. The Smith Center was rocking from the opening tip, with former Tar Heel greats like Tyler Hansbrough, Antawn Jamison, and Raymond Felton in attendance. Duke came out firing, hitting six of its first eight shots and building an early 14-5 lead. Four minutes later, they’d knocked down nine of their first 11, with Cameron Boozer and company dominating the paint and second-chance opportunities. By halftime, Duke led 41-29, having shot 53.3 percent from the field to Carolina’s 33.3 percent. The Tar Heels, outside of star freshman Caleb Wilson, struggled to find their rhythm, with Wilson scoring 17 of UNC’s first-half points—his fifth consecutive 20-point game and 17th this season.
“It just shows that we’re hungry,” Wilson said when asked about the comeback. “Everybody overlooked us. Nobody thought we were gonna win this game. We’re hungry.”
Yet, the second half was a different story. Carolina caught fire, hitting 10 of its first 14 shots after the break and gradually chipping away at the deficit. Henri Veesaar, who had been scoreless in the first half, came alive, scoring all 13 of his points and grabbing 11 rebounds to notch his ACC-leading 13th double-double. His three-pointer with 1:40 left tied the game at 68, the first time the score had been even since the opening minute. Freshman Derek Dixon also came up big, drilling a three-pointer with 2:25 remaining to cut Duke’s lead to 68-65 and later assisting on Trimble’s game-winner.
The final sequence was pure chaos. After Veesaar forced Boozer into a tough miss, Trimble corralled the rebound and UNC called timeout with 10.6 seconds left. The play, drawn up by head coach Hubert Davis, called for Dixon to attack the basket, but with Duke’s defense collapsing, Dixon kicked it out to Trimble in the corner. “We work on that every day,” Davis said. Three Blue Devils rushed to contest, but Trimble rose up and delivered. As the ball swished through the net, the Smith Center erupted, fans stormed the court, and Trimble celebrated with a nod to Stephen Curry’s signature “night-night” pose.
But the drama wasn’t over. Officials reviewed the play and determined there was still time left, prompting a lengthy delay as the court was cleared and Duke was given a final, desperate possession. Nothing came of it, and the celebration resumed in earnest. The wild finish was not without controversy, however—Duke head coach Jon Scheyer later reported that some of his staffers were physically assaulted amid the chaos, leading to a public apology from UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham.
“Carolina, they played a great game to win, and that’s a heartbreaking loss for our team,” Scheyer said in his postgame remarks. “Congrats to Carolina for just clawing and fighting back and making one more play than we did down the stretch.”
For Duke, Boozer led the way with 24 points and 11 rebounds, but UNC’s defense held him to 10-of-21 shooting. Dame Sarr added 13 points and Isaiah Evans chipped in 11, while Duke dominated the glass (38-26) and points in the paint (36-22). Still, it wasn’t enough to hold off the Tar Heels’ late surge.
Trimble finished with 16 points and three steals, while Dixon had eight points and four assists. Veesaar’s double-double was critical, and Wilson’s 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting kept UNC afloat when things looked bleak. The Tar Heels’ resilience was not lost on their coach. “It’s great ammunition for me to let [the team] know what it looks like, what perseverance looks like, what toughness looks like, what staying and sticking together looks like, what being a team looks like,” Davis said. “They’re great examples of all that for these guys to cling to, lean on to allow us to reach our full potential as a team.”
Trimble’s journey to this moment made it all the more special. After limited minutes, a broken arm earlier this season, and even a brief flirtation with the transfer portal in 2024, he stayed the course. “It’s special,” Trimble said. “I’m going to remember this for the rest of my life.”
The win adds another legendary chapter to the Smith Center’s 40-year history, even as debates swirl about the future of the arena named for Dean Smith. For now, though, the Tar Heels will savor this victory—and Trimble’s shot will live on in the rivalry’s annals, right alongside the likes of Luke Maye and Marvin Williams.
Up next, North Carolina heads to Miami for a Tuesday night ACC showdown, riding high on a wave of momentum and belief. As for Duke, they’ll have to regroup after a stinging loss that slipped away in the blink of an eye. What a game, and what a night for college basketball fans everywhere.