North Carolina shocks rival Duke with historic comeback capped by Seth Trimble's last-second 3-pointer

The Tar Heels trailed the entire game until Trimble's 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- No. 14 North Carolina stunned No. 4 Duke with a 71-68 win after trailing almost the entire 40 minutes of regulation. UNC star guard Seth Trimble knocked down a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining to give the Tar Heels a dramatic win over their in-state rival.

It's safe to say that the 266th all-time meeting between the ACC foes certainly lived up to the hype and then some.
The Tar Heels (19-4, 7-3 ACC) trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half and staged a comeback during the final two minutes to deliver another memorable chapter to this storied rivalry. Trimble finished with 16 points in the win over the Blue Devils.

Duke (21-2, 10-1) entered this game riding a 10-game winning streak dating back to its first loss against Texas Tech in December. All 10 of those wins came against ACC competition.

The biggest storyline ahead of the matchup was the battle between Duke's Cameron Boozer and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson. Both players project as top-five picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. The last time a game in this rivalry had a matchup with those credentials was in 1989. That year, North Carolina's J.R. Reid was selected No. 5 and Duke's Danny Ferry was taken No. 2 in the NBA Draft.

Boozer started slow in the first half against the Tar Heel. However, the favorite to win National Player of the Year honors scored 15 of his 24 points after halftime while finishing with his 12th double-double of the season, tied for the 10th-most among all Division I players. Boozer had a chance to give Duke the lead back after UNC tied the game at 68-all in the final minute, but missed a layup.

Wilson scored a team-high 23 points. Seventeen of those 23 points came in the first half.

Duke and North Carolina will meet again later this season on March 7 in Durham.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 8:59 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

The most anticipated NBA prospect matchup in this rivalry in the last 40 years lived up to the hype and then some. Wilson was the one who had a strong first half by scoring 17 of his 23 points before intermission. On the other side, Boozer scored 15 of his 24 points in the second half. Basketball fans got to see one heavyweight matchup last weekend between Kansas (Darryn Peterson) and BYU (AJ Dybantsa). Although it was action-packed, the main takeaway was that Peterson only logged three minutes in the second half. That wasn't the case here. The best part? Wilson and Boozer will meet again next month. And if we are lucky, maybe we will get a third matchup in the ACC Tournament.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 8:56 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Caleb Wilson is the best player on this North Carolina roster. Full Stop. However, the most important might just be Trimble. The veteran leader is valuable as a defender and he also just showed he can come up clutch when needed. Trimble only attempted seven shots and the lone 3-pointer of the night he took came with less than a second remaining. UNC, obviously, doesn't win that game without him. After Trimble missed some time due to injury earlier this season, it's refreshing to have him in the lineup. Trimble is the exact kind of player needed to make a deep run.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 8:51 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Cameron Boozer had a strong second half performance against UNC, but the final offensive possession of the game is one he probably wishes he had back. Duke got the matchup it wanted: Boozer on the perimeter against Henri Veesaar. Boozer drove to the basket and tried to use his strength to finish at the rim but missed. That shot gave UNC the ball back with a chance to win the game. Late game situations haunted Duke last season.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 8:40 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

FINAL: No. 14 North Carolina 71, No. 4 Duke 68

No. 14 North Carolina stunned No. 4 Duke with a 71-68 win after trailing almost the entire 40 minutes of regulation. UNC star guard Seth Trimble knocked down a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining to give the Tar Heels a dramatic win over their in-state rival.

It's safe to say that the 266th all-time meeting between the ACC foes certainly lived up to the hype and then some.
The Tar Heels (19-4, 7-3 ACC) trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half and staged a comeback during the final two minutes to deliver another memorable chapter to this storied rivalry. Trimble finished with 16 points in the win over the Blue Devils.

Duke (21-2, 10-1) entered this game riding a 10-game winning streak dating back to its first loss against Texas Tech in December. All 10 of those wins came against ACC competition.

The biggest storyline ahead of the matchup was the battle between Duke's Cameron Boozer and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson. Both players project as top-five picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. The last time a game in this rivalry had a matchup with those credentials was in 1989. That year, North Carolina's J.R. Reid was selected No. 5 and Duke's Danny Ferry was taken No. 2 in the draft.

Boozer started slow in the first half against the Tar Heel. However, the favorite to win national player of the year honors scored 15 of his 24 points after halftime while finishing with his 12th double-double of the season, tied for the 10th-most among all Division I players. Boozer had a chance to give Duke the lead back after UNC tied the game at 68-all in the final minute, but missed a layup.

Wilson scored a team-high 23 points. Seventeen of those 23 points came in the first half.

Duke and North Carolina will meet again later this season on March 7 in Durham.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 8:33 pm ET · Ross Martin]

After a Caleb Foster layup, a Derek Dixon 3-pointer made it 68-65. The Smith Center exploded. Henri Veesaar then nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game. Boozer missed on the other end. Smith Center exploded after the Veesaar 3-pointer. UNC just called timeout with 50.8 seconds remaining.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 8:28 pm ET · Ross Martin]

Duke 66, UNC 62 | 3:16 left in the game

It's been a back and forth close to this game with Duke and UNC exchanging baskets. Carolina has cut the Duke lead to four multiple times, but can't get get any closer. A Seth Trimble driving jumpshot made it 66-62 - but Cameron Boozer has still been hard to stop.

Gearing up for an exciting close here.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 8:27 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

MID 2H: No. 4 Duke 66, No. 14 North Carolina 62

It seems like every time North Carolina goes on a mini run, Duke responds with one of its own. With 3:16 remaining, Duke leads 66-62. North Carolina has not led at any point in this one.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 8:22 pm ET · Ross Martin]

Duke, 64, UNC 58 | 5:01 left in the second half.

The Smith Center exploded following a 3-pointer by freshman Derek Dixon to make It a four point game at the 5:53 mark. Duke extended the lead to six shortly after. UNC is keeping it close and the building Is ready to burst. The Tar Heels have to put together a little run here and get stops on the other end. Duke center Pat Ngongba has fouled out, Maliq Brown has three fouls.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 8:19 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Duke big man Pat Ngongba just fouled out with just over six minutes remaining. He only played 16 minutes. Expect a heavy dose of Maliq Brown in closing time for the Blue Devils.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 8:15 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

MID 2H: No. 4 Duke 62, No. 14 North Carolina 53

The difference in the second half for Duke has been the play of Boozer, who is up to 22 points on the night. Both teams are struggling to score, though. North Carolina hasn't scored in nearly four minutes and has missed its last six shots from the floor. Meanwhile, Duke hasn't been much better. The Blue Devils are 1 of 8 in the same stretch.

This is going to come down to whether UNC can stop Boozer. North Carolina has been able to disrupt some of his cross-court passes. Boozer has four turnovers for the seventh time this season.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 8:07 pm ET · Ross Martin]

Duke 59, UNC 52 at the 10:57 mark in the 1H

The game is speeding up, the pace is being pushed and the refs are letting them play. 

UNC's 7-footer Henri Veesaar finally gets going, giving the Tar Heels a much needed second scoere. Veesaar scored six points in a five minute span here keep the Tar Heels in it. Veesaar is going right at Duke's bigs who are in foul trouble. Maliq Brown has three fouls, Cameron Boozer as two, and Pat Ngongba as four.

But North Carolina can't stop Boozer on the other end. The Blue Devils are giving UNC a heavy dose of the stud freshman. He has 19 points, 10 already in the second half.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 8:05 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

MID 2H: No. 4 Duke 59, No. 14 North Carolina 52

Because you blink and he somehow has 19 points and seven rebounds. He got off to a slow start -- by his standards -- but has come on strong in the second half. That is something Boozer has done multiple times this season -- including in his first career game against Texas. He tends to start slow before playing his best after halftime. He has 10 points on 5 of 10 shooting in the first nine minutes.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 7:56 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

EARLY 2H: No. 4 Duke 49, No. 14 North Carolina 38

The leading scorer for Duke after 25 minutes into this game? Sarr. He is 5 of 5 from the floor and has 13 points for the Blue Devils. Sarr also has six rebounds, which is the second-most behind Ngongba. Speaking of Ngongba, he just picked up his fourth foul right before the media timeout. You have to think Scheyer will bring in Maliq Brown out of the TV Timeout.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 7:36 pm ET · Ross Martin]

Duke leads 41-29 at halftime. The Blue Devils closed the first half with an 11-2 run. 

The Tar Heels just can't get anything going consistently on the offensive end. It's a lot of Caleb Wilson (17 points on 5-for-7 shooting) and not much else. There isn't the high-low game that we have seen throughout the season, and Henri Veesaar, UNC's second leading scorer, has 0 points. UNC's open shots aren't going in.

The shooting percentages and rebounding numbers tell one part of the story.

UNC FG: 9-for-27 | 33%

Duke FG: 16-for-30 | 53.3%

UNC 3PFG: 3-for-12 | 25.0%

Duke 3PFG: 4-for-8 | 50.0%

Rebounding: Duke 22, UNC 11

Assists: Duke 8, UNC 3

[Feb 7, 2026 at 7:31 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

HALF: No. 4 Duke 41, No. 14 North Carolina 29

No. 4 Duke leads No. 14 North Carolina 41-29 at halftime in the 266th all-time meeting between the ACC foes. The biggest storyline of this game was the matchup between Duke's Cameron Boozer and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson. Through the first 20 minutes, Wilson has outplayed Boozer, but Duke holds the edge over UNC.

Boozer got off to a slow start. North Carolina set the tone early by sending a double-team at Boozer, which led to a bad pass/turnover. Boozer picked up two quick fouls but played the rest of the first half without picking up his third. He has nine points and four rebounds.

As for Wilson, he has been fantastic. The projected top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft scored 17 of his team's 29 points, while shooting 5 of 7 from the floor. Additionally, Wilson made all six of his free-throw attempts.

Duke has been able to create second chances on the glass. Duke scored 10 second-chance points and grabbed six offensive boards in the first half. Dame Sarr led all Duke scorers with 10 points, while sharpshooter Isaiah Evans scored nine.

Duke led by as many as 13 points after going on a 10-0 run. The opening minutes of the second half will tell if North Carolina can mount a comeback. Otherwise, Duke might be able to stretch this lead further.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 7:22 pm ET · Ross Martin]

Duke 30, UNC 27 | 3:36 In 1H

It feels like Duke is outplaying UNC at every level, but timely shots are keeping the Tar Heels In It. Luka Bogavac nails a three to make it 30-27. Duke is outrebounding UNC 17-8, crazy.

The Tar Heels have to continue to put pressure on Duke's big. All three (Cameron Boozer, Maliq Brown, and Pat Ngongba) are in foul trouble in the first half.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 7:19 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

LATE 1H: No. 4 Duke 30, No. 14 North Carolina 27

The story of the first half for Duke has been the play of Evans and Sarr. Evans has a team-high nine points, while Sarr has seven points. Sarr (3 of 3) hasn't missed a shot from the floor and has five rebounds. With Duke's frontcourt in foul trouble, those two stepping up have been huge for the road team.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 7:16 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

There are five minutes left in the first half. Duke leads 30-24. However, multiple Duke players (all in the frontcourt) are in foul trouble ...

• Patrick Ngongba II (3)
  
• Cameron Boozer (2)
• Maliq Brown (2)

[Feb 7, 2026 at 7:11 pm ET · Ross Martin]

Duke 22, UNC 20 at the 7:47 mark.

UNC gets back in it thanks to a massive Jonathan Powell three, followed by a Caleb Wilson triple. Seth Trimble's two free throws made it 22-20, Duke. What felt like could have been an early blowout has turned into a game. UNC has settled down and Wilson is playing out of his mind and carrying the Tar Heels. Wilson is leading all scorers right now with 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 7:05 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

MID 1H: No. 4 Duke 22, No. 14 North Carolina 19

Duke's scoring drought is approaching four minutes, and North Carolina is on an 8-0 run. run during that stretch. The more concerning part is that Boozer just went to the bench after picking up his second foul. It will be interesting to see when he checks back in during this first half. Will Jon Scheyer trust Boozer not to pick up his third foul before the intermission? We will find out.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 6:58 pm ET · Ross Martin]

The Tar Heels know where their bread is buttered. UNC is going to Caleb Wilson on every possession now to try and get something cooking offensively.

Wilson hit a smooth baseline jumper and then followed it with a little pivot, lean-in 10-footer.

Carolina is still down 20-9. If they want to try and make It close before halftime, they have to start getting stops. Duke is shooting 9-for-11 from the field.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 6:56 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

EARLY 1H: No. 4 Duke 20, No. 14 North Carolina 9

Duke is in control early over UNC despite Boozer not even attempting (officially) a shot. Boozer did score a bucket, but it was waived off because he traveled. Boozer has two turnovers and zero shot attempts. Still, Duke leads 20-9 with 11:46 remaining in the first half.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 6:50 pm ET · Ross Martin]

UNC can't get anything going early. 2-for-7 from the field to start with all the points coming from Seth Trimble. Not much better on the defensive side of the ball for the Tar Heels. Duke is seemingly scoring at will, on and over center Henri Veesaar. Carolina looks shell-shocked, down 12-5 here early, Hubert Davis is forced to get an early timeout.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 6:44 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

EARLY 1H: No. 4 Duke 14, No. 14 North Carolina 5

It appears North Carolina is committed to slowing down Boozer early. North Carolina sent a quick double team at Boozer and forced him to make a bad pass, leading to a turnover. Boozer is the only player in Duke's starting lineup who hasn't scored. In fact, he hasn't even attempted a shot. Ngongba, Sarr and Evans all have four quick points for the Blue Devils.

Boozer and Wilson are guarding each other on both ends.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 6:37 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

We are underway. Dame Sarr opens this game with a corner jumper that was a longggg 2-pointer.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 6:26 pm ET · Ross Martin]

The UNC-Duke game always brings out noteworthy celebrities... Author John Grisham is a sneaky famous UNC fan who has courtside seats and maintains a residence in downtown Chapel Hill. Grisham's daughter was a 2008 graduate of the University of North Carolina.

Grisham has written 37 consecutive number-one fiction bestsellers, and his books have sold 300 million copies worldwide.  Grisham novels such as A Time to Kill, The Firm, The Runaway Jury, The Client, The Pelican Brief, and The Rainmaker have all been adapted into movies.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 6:25 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

About 10 minutes until tip-off. Here are the starting lineups for both sides.

(4) Duke

• Caleb Foster (G)
• Isaiah Evans (G)
• Dame Sarr (G)
• Cameron Boozer (F)
• Patrick Ngongba II (C)

(14) North Carolina

• Derek Dixon (G)
• Seth Trimble (G)
• Caleb Wilson (F)
• Jarin Stevenson (F)
• Henri Veesaar (C)

[Feb 7, 2026 at 6:20 pm ET · Ross Martin]

Former North Carolina players Tyler Hansbrough, Antawn Jamison, Raymond Felton, Theo Pinson, Tyler Zeller, Bobby Frasor, and Kenny Williams are all in attendance tonight in the Smith Center for the 2026 edition of the UNC-Duke game.

[Feb 7, 2026 at 6:05 pm ET · Adam Finkelstein]

The NBA trade deadline has now passed, and two very distinct races are unfolding for the rest of the regular season. The first is for playoff seeding – whether that be to get into the play-in, avoid it altogether or lock up home-court advantage.

Conversely, some teams are clearly focused on securing the best draft picks possible in June's highly anticipated 2026 draft. Franchises like Memphis and Dallas traded away the likes of Anthony Davis and Jaren Jackson in service of that goal. However, that's not to say Washington and Utah — where Davis and Jackson were relocated — are necessarily fully motivated to win now. As such, it will be interesting to see just how much those new players suit up for the final 30 games or so. The same can be said for Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, which is now expected to move the former MVP this summer after not completing a deal at the deadline.

We took those variables and others — such as New Orleans owing its pick to Atlanta and thus having no motivation to lose games whatsoever, and the potential for Kawhi Leonard's durability issues to resurface in the wake of James Harden and Ivica Zubac being traded away, even if those moves were in the franchise's best long-term interests — into consideration to construct our first 2026 mock draft below.

2026 NBA Mock Draft: Where college stars like Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson figure to go

Adam Finkelstein

[Feb 7, 2026 at 5:45 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

There are major college basketball games between rivals, and there is Duke vs. North Carolina.

There is a difference.

The 266th all-time meeting between the two will take place Saturday in Chapel Hill in what may be a potential inflection point for No. 14 UNC as it welcomes No. 4 Duke into the Dean Dome. UNC is on the prowl looking to rebound after losing all three meetings vs. Duke a year ago, and in the process it is hunting to burnish its burgeoning NCAA Tournament resume after winning its last four games in ACC play.

Doing so under the immense pressure this rivalry presents will no doubt be a challenge, though, because Davis' team will be underdogs on their home court for the first time all season. And Davis is not only well aware of the pressures surrounding him and his program entering the matchup but also attuned with the fact that for those in and around the Tobacco Road, this is not just a rivalry.

Hubert Davis' job as UNC coach is not on the line vs. Duke, but victory would bring much-needed momentum

Kyle Boone