CHAPEL HILL, N.C — In his last home game against Duke, Seth Trimble etched his name into North Carolina history, knocking down a right-corner three pointer with 0.4 to play to give No. 14 North Carolina a 71-68 win over its most-hated rival.

Saturday’s win is UNC’s fifth straight, improving its record to 19-4 (7-3 ACC).

Second Half Comeback Sets Up Instant Classic

After trailing by as many as 13 in Saturday’s first half, Henri Veesaar’s three-pointer from the right wing tied the game at 68 a-piece, setting up the sort of instant-classic finish that the Duke-UNC rivalry is known to create.

Cameron Boozer’s missed layup over Henri Veesaar with 15 seconds left and Seth Trimble’s rebound prompted a Hubert Davis timeout, and a chance for UNC to take its first lead at the game’s most important moment.

Derek Dixon’s drive and kick set up a Seth Trimble game-ending corner three, or so fans thought. Students flooded the Smith Center floor, just to be herded back to their seats as the clock still had four tenths of a second remaining.

Isaiah Evans bobbled Duke’s hail-mary pass as time expired, handing North Carolina a marquee win over the No. 4 Blue Devils.

Caleb Wilson vs. Cameron Boozer As Advertised

Saturday’s matchup of former AAU teammates and projected top-five picks in this year’s NBA Draft was every bit worth the price of admission.

Caleb Wilson put the Tar Heels on his back, finishing his first installation of college basketball’s greatest rivalry with 23 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the field, including a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line while adding four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.

Cameron Boozer led the way for the Blue Devils, pouring in 24 points and 11 rebounds, going 10-of-21 from the field, and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Tar Heels Snap the Streak

Saturday’s win over Duke marks North Carolina’s first over the Blue Devils since March 9, 2024 after dropping all three of their contests with the Blue Devils last season. 

The Tar Heels prevented Duke from matching the rivalry’s longest streak since 2016, when the Blue Devils took four straight from UNC from March of 2014 to February of 2016

Up Next

North Carolina heads to South Florida for a date with Miami (18-5, 7-3 ACC) Tuesday night. Tipoff from Coral Cables is set for 7 p.m.