In what will remain as one of the most intense, and controversial, episodes of the rivalry between Duke and North Carolina, the Tar Heels of Caleb Wilson (23 points) overthrew their long-time enemies Saturday night in Chapel Hill thanks to a killer 3-point shot from Seth Trimble (16 points) 0.4 seconds from the end (71-68). A “game winner” which triggered not one, but two invasions of the pitch, in an atmosphere that quickly became uncontrollable.
Ranked 14th in the national rankings, the Tar Heels had never led the entire game before this last shot! With 24 points from Cameron Boozer, Duke seemed to control the game and still led by several possessions in the second half. But North Carolina came back gradually, before turning everything around with one last perfectly executed action.
After a crucial defensive rebound, Hubert Davis took a timeout with 11 seconds remaining to draw a system for Derek Dixon, tasked with attacking the rim. When the Duke defense closed down, Dixon found Trimble, alone in the corner, facing the North Carolina bench. The shot went off, the net shook and the Smith Center exploded.
The supporters then invaded the field, convinced that the match was over. Problem: after reviewing the video, the referees estimated that there were still 0.4 seconds left on the clock. So the game wasn’t over.
An invasion of land… then a second
Officials then requested that the field be evacuated to allow Duke to play one final possession. A rare and confusing scene, punctuated by repeated announcements on the microphone: “The match is not over”.
Once the field was emptied, Duke attempted a final, desperate action… without success. The final buzzer then officially sounded, triggering a second invasion of the field, even more massive than the first!
But this time, the celebration gave way to concern, since the Duke coach denounced serious incidents. At a press conference, Jon Scheyer explained that his main concern was not the defeat, as cruel as it was, but rather the safety of his players and those around him in the chaos that followed the buzzer.
“Members of my staff were hit in the face. My family had to push people away to avoid being trampled. That’s not what this match is about. »
North Carolina’s apology
Faced with the controversy, UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham issued a public apology to Jon Scheyer, confirming that a person had been injured, without specifying the nature of the injury. “When the land was invaded, several people fell. Then we had to evacuate again. Obviously, if there were injuries, it is extremely disappointing. »
The university said it would review video footage to determine precisely what happened.
On a sporting level, Trimble’s shot immediately entered the legend of the rivalry between the two universities. This is the first time since 1996 that North Carolina has beaten Duke on a field goal scored in the last ten seconds of regulation time. For Trimble, a player often confined to a defensive role and long hampered by injuries, the moment is historic. “It’s special. I will remember it all my life”, he confided.
