College basketball’s most storied rivalry delivered another epic chapter on Saturday night when the No. 14 North Carolina Tar Heels shocked the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils.
North Carolina overcame a 10-point deficit to knock off its in-state rival, 71-68, and it did so in dramatic fashion with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Seth Trimble.
Seth Trimble’s buzzer-beater lifts North Carolina
North Carolina’s 10-point comeback was its largest comeback win against Duke in over 20 years.
The Tar Heels tied the game at 68 in the final minute when Henri Veesar drilled a 3-pointer to set the stage for Trimble’s basket.
Here is a look at Trimble’s shot.
Trimble finished the game with 16 points, three steals and two rebounds, while that game-winning shot was not only his only 3-point make of the night, it was also his only 3-point attempt of the night.
He certainly saved it for the right moment.
The win is North Carolina’s fifth in a row and helps it keep its spot in the fifth spot in the ACC standings.
For Duke, it is only its second loss of the season and it is another frustrating one. Not only because it came against its top rival, but also because in both losses for the Blue Devils this season, they have had double-digit leads only to allow them to slip away.
Duke is still one of the best teams in the country, with perhaps the best player in the country in Cameron Boozer, but that is still a tough way to let two wins slip away.
Duke and North Carolina will play at least one more time this season when they close out their regular season schedule against each other on March 7 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. There is also the potential for a postseason meeting in either the ACC tournament or perhaps even the NCAA tournament.
