Duke Staffer Punched by UNC Fan After Heated Rivalry Game

Coach Jon Scheyer provides update on staff member injured in postgame incident.

Feb. 9, 2026 at 2:55pm

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Following Duke's loss to North Carolina in a heated rivalry game, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer revealed that one of his staff members was allegedly punched in the face by a UNC fan during the postgame court storming. Scheyer said the staff member was partially bloodied on the lip and trampled while trying to get off the floor, though he is now doing better. The incident has further fueled the debate around court storming protocols to protect players, coaches, and staff.

Why it matters

The Duke-North Carolina rivalry is one of the fiercest in college basketball, and emotions often run high after these matchups. This latest incident highlights the safety concerns around court storming and the need for better protocols to protect all involved, especially non-player personnel who may be vulnerable to fan altercations.

The details

Following North Carolina's 71-68 win over Duke on a last-second shot, officials had to clear fans from the court after reviewing the play and determining there was 0.4 seconds left, leading to a second court storming within minutes. In the chaos, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer revealed that one of his staff members was allegedly punched in the face by a UNC fan.

  • The incident occurred immediately following the Duke-North Carolina game on Saturday, February 8, 2026.
  • Scheyer provided an update on the staff member's condition on Monday, February 10, 2026.

The players

Jon Scheyer

The head coach of the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team.

Seth Trimble

A guard for the North Carolina Tar Heels who hit the game-winning shot.

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What they’re saying

“It's hard to talk about the game when I was most concerned for the safety of our players. I don't want to make it about that, but ... I've got staff members that got punched in the face. That's not what this game is about. That was a scary ending.”

— Jon Scheyer, Head Coach, Duke Blue Devils

“Yeah, so he's fine — he's fine. But after the game, I came back into the locker room and saw that he had a bloody lip and was disheveled. He didn't know exactly what happened. He got trampled on the floor.”

— Jon Scheyer, Head Coach, Duke Blue Devils

What’s next

The two teams will meet one more time during the regular season in the finale on March 7, though this matchup will take place at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the need for better safety protocols and crowd control measures at high-intensity college basketball rivalry games, where emotions can boil over and put non-player personnel at risk of harm from unruly fans.