A first ACC loss for Jon Scheyer’s Duke Blue Devils didn’t come quietly at the Dean E. Smith Center. Scheyer’s team was pushed back in the final seconds of the game by North Carolina, handing them a 71-68 loss and snapping their 10-game winning streak. However, it wasn’t the heartbreaking loss that irked Duke’s head coach. Rather, it was the Tar Heels’ crowd reaction that prompted him to share his two cents.

The chaos unfolded in the final seconds, with the score tied at 68-68, and Seth Trimble scored a clutch 24-foot three-pointer off a Derek Dixon assist to tilt the game in the Tar Heels’ hands. The crowd erupted with joy and, out of excitement, stormed the court to celebrate the moment. While it was a glimpse of pure fandom, for Scheyer, it was a threat to his entourage’s security.

“For me, it’s hard to talk about the game when I was most concerned about the safety of the players,” he said in the postgame press conference.”I don’t want to make it about that, Carolina. They played a great game, and it’s a heartbreaking loss for the team. I got staff members punched in the face, and my family was pushing people away. That’s not what the game is about. That was a scary ending.”

While Scheyer’s frustration was absolutely justified, the Tar Heels’ fans’ passion was also well-founded. The game’s conclusion was one for the history books. However, for Scheyer, his ideals are embedded in just his players’ safety, irrespective of the enormity of the win.

“They won, they should celebrate,” Scheyer said clearly in his press conference. “They want to court-storm, court-storm. But just let’s get our guys off safely, that’s it. That’s where I’m at with that.”

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For context, this wasn’t the first time the Duke’s head coach had opposed court-storming. He aligned with those views a couple of years ago, when the Blue Devils lost to Wake Forest in the 2023-24 season. Scheyer had urged a ban on such off-court fan endeavors in the aftermath of the incident.

While court-storming isn’t strictly banned, the conferences have made efforts in recent years to restrict it.

The ACC implemented fines for storming the field or court this year, a move that came, in part, due to a February 2024 court storm at Wake Forest. Duke star Kyle Filipowski was injured in that storm.

Schools face fines of $50,000, $100,000, and $200,000 per offense from the ACC that will accumulate through two seasons in football and basketball. Schools are expected to have a plan to get opposing teams and personnel off the court safely.

However, beyond that, the North Carolina management has stepped up and taken responsibility for this disturbing situation in a top-tier ACC game.

Jon Scheyer receives an apology from a top official of the UNC Front Office

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham confirmed in his statement that the brawl led to several injuries on the court. According to reports, Cunningham also personally apologized to Jon Scheyer for his fans’ behavior ahead of the postgame media availability. He has also assured that the situation will be analyzed with utmost care by the UNC management.

“When they rushed the court, a number of people got knocked over. But then we had to clear the court again,” Cunningham said in his statement. ” So when we normally have something like just rushing the court and the game is over, we do have a line by the benches to get people off safely. Obviously, if somebody got injured, that’s just really, really disappointing.”

While Cunningham’s statement was a positive step towards resolving the situation at Dean E. Smith Center, it is a striking reminder of how passionate crowds can be a double-edged sword. However, for Scheyer, the court-storming wasn’t his team’s only hurdle. The loss to UNC highlights several cracks in Duke’s dominant run in the season.

On Saturday, the Duke Blue Devils struggled with ball security, turning the ball over 8 times. Scheyer’s team was also cold from the field, shooting 28-62 from the field. These takeaways have severely impacted Duke’s performance, and they eventually gave up a substantial lead they had built in the first half.

Despite the loss, Scheyer’s side is quite comfortable, sitting at the top of the ACC conference with a 10-1 record. With that, the team has another chance to avenge the Saturday defeat next month against their arch-rivals. Now, it is up to Scheyer to regroup his team quickly and look ahead to the rest of the season.

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