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Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer expressed serious concerns about safety after North Carolina fans stormed the court following the Tar Heels' dramatic 71-68 victory over the Blue Devils on Saturday (February 8).
"I got staff members that got punched in the face," Scheyer said in his postgame news conference. "My family pushing people away, trying to not get trampled. That's not what this game is about."
The incident occurred after UNC's Seth Trimble hit a game-winning three-pointer with just 0.4 seconds remaining. Fans initially rushed the court thinking the game was over, then had to be cleared for a final Duke play, before storming again when the game officially concluded.
The chaotic double court storm created a dangerous situation for players, coaches, and their families trying to exit the court safely.
UNC Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham publicly apologized to Scheyer and Duke following the incident. "When they rushed the court, a number of people got knocked over," Cunningham said. "Obviously, if somebody got injured, that's just really, really disappointing. We'll do the best we can to make sure that doesn't happen."
Despite the frightening experience, Scheyer clarified he doesn't oppose court storming celebrations in principle. "I think court storming's fine," he said. "I don't have any issue with court storming. 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."
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) implemented fines for court storming this year, with penalties of $50,000, $100,000, and $200,000 per offense accumulating through two basketball seasons. The policy was created partly in response to a February 2024 incident at Wake Forest where Duke star Kyle Filipowski was injured during a court storm.
Cunningham said UNC officials would review video footage to better understand what happened during Saturday's incident. This marked the first court storming at UNC's Smith Center since 2014.