Seth Trimble buzzer beater: North Carolina upsets Duke as historic rivalry gets another incredible ending originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There was pandemonium at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill, N.C.
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The home Tar Heels were trailing the entire game against their rival Duke Blue Devils. North Carolina, who entered the game No. 14, fought back into the game. UNC had the ball with less than 11 seconds left and took a timeout.
Hubert Davis drew up a play, and the ball was eventually kicked to Seth Trimble on the wing. He nailed the 3-pointer, and it looked like the game was over.
The court was stormed, but 0.4 seconds were put on the clock, and the court needed to be cleared of students and thrown celebratory drinks. All of it allowed the UNC faithful to celebrate just a second time as Duke couldn’t hit with the added time and UNC walked away with a 71-68 win.
Here is more on the electric ending to the first UNC-Duke game of the 2025-2026 season.
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MORE: How did North Carolina beat Duke?
Seth Trimble buzzer-beater
Carolina-Duke is considered one of the best rivalry in all of college sports, not even just basketball. The rivalry is deep between the two programs who are separated by only eight miles. No matter the seasons that the two programs are having, they always seem to play good games.
North Carolina hadn’t led the entire game. The game was tied 68-68, and Trimble was kicked the ball on the wing. The senior nailed the three, giving the Tar Heels the only lead they cared about the entire game. Duke led by six with 2:51 to play, but UNC closed the game on a 9-0 run.
Court storms in college basketball are hotly debated, but are amazing as long as nobody gets hurt. Taking that excitement, and lowering it to get everyone back into the seats they just stormed out of with 0.4 seconds left is … complicated.
In an exclusive interview with Sporting News, Trimble was asked about the legacy he wanted to have as a Tar Heel. He said, “I want my legacy to be that I was a game-changer and a program builder. I’m not the all-time leading scorer, but I’ve shown guys the ‘Carolina Way’ and helped us win. This team has a chance to be an all-time legendary group, and I take pride in being a part of that. At the end of the day, I just want to know I made a difference and left the biggest impact on this school possible.” Hitting a buzzer beater to beat Duke at home as a senior is certainly a way to cement a legacy.
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Trimble’s buzzer beater three was obviously his biggest shot of the win. He finished with 16 points, and it was the only 3-pointer that he made the entire game. Carolina’s standout freshman Caleb Wilson played the entire game and led the Tar Heels with 23 points, four rebounds and two assists.
On the Duke side, Cameron Boozer led the way for the Blue Devils with 24 points, 11 rebounds and two assists in his first taste of this rivalry that his dad Carlos played in multiple times during his collegiate career.
Carolina has now won five games in a row, with wins over No. 14 Virginia and No. 4 Duke. The rematch of this series will be played at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday, March 7. It will be the final regular season game for both teams before the head to the ACC Tournament.
