Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
There is plenty of bad blood between Duke and UNC, and a new chapter was added to the saga after Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer claimed a staffer was punched when rival fans stormed the court in Chapel Hill earlier this month. However, the district attorney for the county the Tar Heels call home had some stern words for the skipper after a search for evidence to support that claim failed to turn up any proof.
The men’s basketball teams at Duke and UNC met on the court for the first time in 1920, and the two squads have spent more than a century fostering one of the most vicious rivalries in the world of sports.
The Tar Heels currently have a 146-120 lead in the all-time series that has spawned a slew of classic games, and we were treated to what promised to be another electric showdown on February 6th when the #4 Blue Devils made the short trek down Tobacco Road to face off against an opponent that was sitting at #14.
The home team trailed for the vast majority of the contest before staging a fairly dramatic comeback in the last couple of minutes, which was capped off when Seth Trimble appeared to clinch the 71-68 victory with a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
UNC fans prematurely stormed the court before officials added .4 seconds back on the clock, but they flooded the hardwood yet again after their squad officially sealed the deal.
We were also treated to some drama off the court after the game, as Duke coach Jon Scheyer said a member of his staff had to be treated for injuries after being punched in the face and trampled during the chaotic scene. That would obviously be unacceptable behavior if the claim had any merit, but the district attorney who looked into it doesn’t seem to think it does.
Orange County District Attorney Jeff Nieman says there is no evidence that a Duke staffer was injured when UNC fans stormed the court
Last week, Jeff Nieman, who serves as the District Attorney for Orange County, said he would be more than happy to press charges against anyone who attacked a member of Duke’s team while asserting it shouldn’t be too hard to find video proof to support Scheyer’s claim given the number of cameras focused on the floor when the court was stormed.
On Tuesday, he provided an update on that front while firmly claiming Scheyer lied about the incident in question, saying it was “patently obvious” he’d simply made it up and saying there was “zero evidence” to support the allegations.
A week has passed, and what seemed likely is now patently obvious. There is zero evidence that anyone from Duke’s basketball program was “punched in the face” at the Smith Center last week. Nor is there any evidence that a staffer was “trampled on the floor” or “in a complete…
— DA Jeff Nieman (@JeffNiemanNC) February 16, 2026
However, Scheyer stuck to his story while addressing that development at a press conference, saying, “I know what I saw, and I know what happened with our staff after the game.”
Duke’s Scheyer responds to Orange County DA: pic.twitter.com/BRvrKuWGf3
— Brian Murphy (@murphsturph) February 17, 2026
The two teams will meet again when they close out the regular season at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 7th, and you’re probably going to want to circle that one on your calendar.
Have any thoughts? Shoot me an email at connor@brobible.com if you want to chime in.