The Shot of a Lifetime: North Carolina Stuns No. 4 Duke with 0.4-Second Dagger

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In a finish that will be etched into the “Tobacco Road” history books forever, No. 14 North Carolina completed a miraculous comeback to defeat No. 4 Duke 71–68 at the Smith Center on Saturday night.

The Tar Heels, who trailed for 39 minutes and 59.6 seconds of the contest, secured their first and only lead of the game when senior captain Seth Trimble drilled a corner three-pointer with just 0.4 seconds remaining.

The Moment: Trimble’s 0.4-Second Dagger

With the score knotted at 68-all following a defensive stop, UNC coach Hubert Davis drew up a play for freshman Derek Dixon to drive to the rim.

The Pass: As the Duke defense collapsed on Dixon, he kicked the ball to an open Seth Trimble in the corner directly in front of the Tar Heel bench.
The Swish: Trimble, a four-year veteran, let it fly. The ball touched nothing but net as the arena erupted.
The Chaos: Fans stormed the court prematurely, leading to a lengthy delay as officials reset the clock by 0.4 seconds. After Duke’s final desperation heave failed, the court was stormed a second time as Franklin Street became a sea of Carolina Blue.

seth trimble game winner; duke vs north carolina pic.twitter.com/w7mrvJKOL3

— ◇ (@F0RGIAT0) February 8, 2026

The Comeback: From 13 Down to 71–68

For much of the night, it appeared Duke (21–2, 10–1 ACC) would cruise to its 11th straight win.

First Half Dominance: Duke built a 41–29 halftime lead behind the powerhouse play of Cameron Boozer and Dame Sarr.
The Freshman Catalyst: While the Heels struggled early, freshman Caleb Wilson kept them afloat with 17 first-half points (finishing with a game-high 23).
The Closing Run: Trailing 68–62 with 2:25 left, UNC closed the game on a 9–0 run
Derek Dixon hit a massive three to cut it to three.
Henri Veesaar (13 points, 11 rebounds) tied the game with a triple at the 1:40 mark.
Trimble provided the final blow after Boozer’s potential go-ahead layup rimmed out.

Box Score Breakdown

Team	1st	2nd	Final
#4 Duke	41	27	68
#14 North Carolina	29	42	71

UNC Leaders: Caleb Wilson (23 pts), Seth Trimble (16 pts, 3 stl), Henri Veesaar (13 pts, 11 reb).
Duke Leaders: Cameron Boozer (24 pts, 11 reb), Dame Sarr (13 pts, 6 reb).

Coaches’ Corner

“That shot was made by the perfect person at the right time. Seth has been devoted to this program for four years… he’s deserving of being remembered forever.”

— Hubert Davis, UNC Head Coach

“It’s a heartbreaking loss. We were in control for the entire game, but congrats to Carolina for clawing back and making one more play than we did.”

— Jon Scheyer, Duke Head Coach

Looking Ahead

The win snaps Duke’s 10-game winning streak and moves the Tar Heels (19–4, 7–3 ACC) into a tie for second place in the conference standings. The two rivals are scheduled for a rematch at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 7 to close the regular season.