UNC-Duke Postgame Notes

POSTGAME NOTES
No. 14 UNC 71, No. 4 DUKE 68
FEB. 7, 2026
CHAPEL HILL

UNC Scoring Leader: Caleb Wilson 23
UNC Rebound Leader: Henri Veesaar 11
UNC Assist Leader: Derek Dixon 4
Team Records: UNC 19-4, 7-3 ACC; Duke 21-2, 10-1 ACC

• Carolina has won five in a row.
• UNC is 146-120 against Duke, including 67-40 at home and 22-19 in the Smith Center.
• The Tar Heels are 14-0 in the Smith Center this season. The three-point margin of victory equals the closest margin at home this season (beat Wake Forest, 87-84).
• Seth Trimble's three-pointer from the right corner with 0.4 seconds to play was UNC's latest game-winner since Luke Maye beat Kentucky with 0.3 seconds left in the 2017 NCAA Elite Eight.
• Trimble's game-winner is the first field goal to beat Duke with fewer than 10 seconds to play since Dante Calabria's tip-in with 6.5 seconds left on 1/31/1996 in a 73-72 UNC win in the Smith Center.
• The three-point margin is Carolina's closest in a win over Duke since a 75-73 win on 3/5/2005, when Sean May had 26 points and 24 rebounds and Marvin Williams converted a three-point play with 17 seconds remaining.
• This is the first season the Tar Heels have defeated Kansas, Kentucky and Duke since 1981-82.
• This was the 88th game both Carolina and Duke were ranked in the AP poll. UNC is 45-43 against Duke when both were ranked in the AP poll.
• The Tar Heels trailed for 37:39 and didn't take their first lead until Trimble's game-winner.
• Carolina trailed by 12 at the half (29-41) and by as many as 13 in the first half. It was the largest comeback from a halftime deficit this season and the largest halftime rally since overcoming an 18-point deficit in a win over Dayton last season.
• Tonight's comeback from 12 points at the half equaled Carolina's fifth-largest in Smith Center history. It was the largest since trailing Florida State by 12 at the half on 2/27/2021.
• Carolina defeated an AP Top-Five opponent (Duke was No. 4) for first time since beating fourth-ranked Baylor in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on 3/19/2022.
• Carolina shot 60.7% in the second half, the fifth time this season the Tar Heels shot at least 60% in a half. It is the third time this season Carolina shot below 36% in the first half and over 60% in the second half (Kansas and Virginia, both UNC victories).
• UNC shot 33.3% in the first half, which tied its lowest percentage in a half this season (shot 33.3% in the first half against Kansas and Michigan State).
• Hubert Davis is 63-27 in regular-season ACC games.
• This was Carolina's 18th win over a ranked opponent under Davis, including nine Top-10 wins.
• Carolina won despite being outrebounded by 12 and outscored in all five specialty stats.
• Carolina committed only seven turnovers, the fourth time in the last five games it committed fewer than 10. The Tar Heels entered the game averaging only 9.7, the fewest in UNC history.

• Caleb Wilson led the Tar Heels with 23 points, 17 of which came in the first half. He scored 17 of UNC's 29 points in the first half, the first time a Tar Heel outscored the rest of the team in a half since RJ Davis did it in both halves against Miami on 2/26/2024.
• It was the 23rd time in as many games Wilson scored in double figures (extending his UNC freshman record) and the 17th time he scored 20 or more points (also extending his UNC freshman record).
• It was the 17th time in 23 games Wilson led Carolina in scoring.
• It was the fifth consecutive game Wilson scored 20 or more points. He set the UNC freshman record with six straight 20-point games earlier this season. Prior to this season, Phil Ford was the only Tar Heel freshman to score 20 or more points in five consecutive games.
• Wilson was 6 for 6 from the free throw line, the 17th time he made five or more from the line.
• Henri Veesaar recorded his ACC-best 13th double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. He had all 13 of his points and nine of his rebounds in the second half.
• Veesaar hit his only three-pointer to tie the game at 68 with 1:40 to play. He has made at least one three-pointer in nine straight games.
• Veesaar has scored in double figures in 22 of the 23 games.
• Trimble scored 16 points, the most he has scored against the Blue Devils in eight career games.
• Derek Dixon made two late three-pointers and set up Trimble's game-winner with one of his four assists. His first three was with 5:53 to play and cut Duke's lead to four and his second with 2:25 left pulled UNC within three. It was the fourth time in Dixon's six starts he made multiple three-pointers.

Next Game: Tuesday, Feb. 10 at Miami (7 p.m., ESPN)

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Players Mentioned

RJ Davis

Derek Dixon

Seth Trimble

Henri Veesaar

Caleb Wilson

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