Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer said that members of his staff ‘got punched in the face’ after his Blue Devils were defeated 71-68 by rival North Carolina on Saturday, Feb. 7.
‘It’s hard to talk about the game when I was most concerned for the safety of our players,” Scheyer said. “I don’t wanna make it about that, but … I got staff members that got punched in the face … That’s not what this game is about. That was a scary ending.’
The University of North Carolina did not immediately respond to USA TODAY Sports’ request for comment.
The game itself was a thriller as the two longtime rivals added another dramatic chapter to their storied men’s college basketball rivalry. Seth Trimble helped No. 18 North Carolina earn the win over No. 4 Duke with a 3-pointer in the last second of regulation.
The excitement from the game led fans in attendance at UNC’s Dean Smith Center to storm the court on two separate occasions.
Incident reminiscent of Kyle Filipowski injury in 2024
On Feb. 24, 2024, Duke center Kyle Filipowski hurt his ankle when Wake Forest fans stormed the court following an upset of the Blue Devils in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
After that incident, Scheyer said that court storming ‘can’t happen’ and that the ACC needed to find ways to prevent it or make it safer.
‘The bottom line, however people feel, that can’t happen,’ Scheyer said. ‘The ACC needs to do something. There has to be something done to protect our guys. To protect not just our guys, but any team that’s in that situation.
‘We shouldn’t wait until next year, something should be done right now.’
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