University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Lucas: The Tunnel
February 8, 2026 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
The Carolina Basketball family showed itself in an unexpected place.
By Adam Lucas
By now, I hope you have watched all the highlights.
I hope you have rewatched the game—rewind, pause, "Honey, come in here!", relive it again, celebrate again. I hope you have read every tweet and liked every post and sent every text. I hope you are reading this right now when it's pitch dark outside and quiet in the house but you can't go to sleep because you are still wired. Also, in addition to that adrenaline, you are restless because you are extremely concerned about whether they have a working internet connection in those tents over in Durham so everyone could see the game.
Enjoy every bit of it. We have been waiting for generations for a finish like that to a game like this. Every angle of Seth Trimble's shot includes the same glorious moment: the silence as the ball as in the air as 21,750 collectively hold their breath. The moment is too precarious to speak or clap or even breathe.
Then: bedlam.
Earlier this week, Caleb Wilson was sifting through all the various media obligations he had in advance of the Carolina-Duke game. It easily could have been overwhelming. ESPN's College GameDay wanted him. SportsCenter wanted him. Every podcast and show in the college basketball world wanted him.
"A year ago, I was in high school," Wilson said with an incredulous grin on his face. "I can't believe I get to do all of this. This is why I came to North Carolina."
That guy—who came to North Carolina for nights like this—is currently standing on top of a Franklin Street balcony looking down at thousands of his classmates.
The pandemonium was made possible by Seth Trimble's three-pointer with 0.4 seconds left.
Trimble played exactly one minute and 14 seconds in his first Carolina-Duke game at the Smith Center. His only contribution to the box score in that game in March of 2023 was a turnover.
There will never be a truer testament to sticking it out. That guy—who could only be trusted to play one minute in a game the Tar Heels lost by five, who had the opportunity to leave but chose to hang around—is now forever etched in Carolina Basketball history. It would have been much, much easier to leave. But then he wouldn't have had one of the best nights of his life.
I know that by now you have watched every single angle of the game-winner. My personal favorite is the ESPN game feed, which features Roy Williams in the top left. Watch the Hall of Famer. He raises his hands over his head in celebration before Trimble ever releases the shot. He knew.
Like the former coach's reaction, Jones Angell's call of the shot was an instant classic. If you don't mind, it needed just one tiny addition. Because as soon as I heard it, there was only one thing missing: an exuberant Eric Montross shouting, "He got it!" as the ball ripped through the net. This night would have delighted the big fella. So hug the people you watched with, whether you were in the Smith Center or sitting on your couch or maybe even studying abroad in London and rushing Big Ben to celebrate (it happened). At some point in almost every conversation you have with those people in future years, one of you will say, "Remember that night..." and you'll instantly be back on February 7.
That reminds me. And yes, I promise, we will eventually get to the actual column. Right now, we are not in a hurry, because we still have a few hours until Drake Maye plays in the Super Bowl.
So that reminds me. My favorite two timeouts in Smith Center history occurred in the final seconds of Saturday's game. The first came with 50.8 seconds remaining. The game was tied and Carolina had the ball. Hubert Davis had called a timeout. Everyone in the building was jumping up and down, chanting along to Seven Nation Army.
Including, as it turned out, Theo Pinson and Justin Jackson. Just two national champions acting like a couple of kids. It was spontaneous and authentic and fun.
After a UNC turnover, Duke called a timeout with under 40 seconds left. They had the ball and a chance to take the lead. What did Carolina need? A stop, of course.
At that moment, on the video board appeared one Roy Allen Williams, standing in the corner in his usual seat. Then, without realizing he was on the board, he went full Coach Williams power stance fist-clinching "get a stop" mode.
It was spontaneous and authentic and fun. The crowd absolutely loved it.
College athletic departments currently spend endless hours and plentiful dollars trying to figure out how to entertain fans during games. Turns out you don't need much more than a couple national champions and a Hall of Famer who truly love their program.
OK, fine—the actual column. You have seen all those other highlights. One of the very best parts of the night happened away from almost every camera. The mass of humanity on the court prevented almost everyone other than the current team from making it into the home tunnel after the win.
First came Luka Bogavac, doing some sort of dance that is undoubtedly beloved in Montenegro but has not yet made it to these shores. And then came the rest of the Tar Heels, who were greeted in the home tunnel by…not some marketing slogan. Not some hashtag. Not a recruiting strategy.
They were greeted by their Carolina basketball family. Antawn Jamison was wrapping Sean May in a giant hug. Theo Pinson was embracing Trimble. Kenny Williams and Justin Jackson were celebrating.
It was, well, you already know what it was. It was spontaneous and authentic and fun. And, of course, it was family. Just a couple of minutes later, Pinson—with a well-earned reputation for crashing all sorts of events—was bursting into the UNC locker room, where he danced with Hubert Davis.
"It's surreal, man," Trimble said on the Tar Heel Sports Network. "Seeing the legends celebrate you and putting yourself in that history with those legends. It's a surreal feeling to get that love from those other guys."
Even today, in the world of 2026 college sports where everything is for sale, you can't replicate that feeling. You can't manufacture alums who still love the program that has meant so much to their lives. Watch Pinson and Jackson behind the UNC bench during the key moments. They are just a couple of fans. When Trimble's shot goes in the air, Pinson puts his hand on Jackson's shoulder: this might be happening. How many of us had that exact same reaction at that moment? The way the former and current players hugged and celebrated in that tunnel...you can't buy it.
Go anywhere else in the country and get everything you can for that particular year. Come to Chapel Hill and be part of that.
Eventually, the building began to quiet. Even the tunnel, which had been ground zero of the celebration, was returning to normal. That was primarily because everyone who was awake had made the journey to Franklin Street, where the temperature was 29 degrees and yet for some reason absolutely no one was cold.
Trimble emerged from the locker room after finishing his media responsibilities. He still looked a little dazed, and he hugged his parents. They pulled up a live video of Franklin Street.
"Is that right now?" Trimble said. "Maaaaaaan."
He had caused that celebration. Right now, it was just a great moment. What Seth Trimble didn't know yet is that for the rest of his life, he likely will never go more than a couple of days without someone bringing it up to him. They will tell him where they were or who they were with or how they celebrated, and every time he will smile and nod and he will think of this night.
For now, though, he had one last thing to do. He hugged his parents one more time and he looked at the video of Franklin Street.
"I've got to get there," he said. "Right now."
By now, I hope you have watched all the highlights.
I hope you have rewatched the game—rewind, pause, "Honey, come in here!", relive it again, celebrate again. I hope you have read every tweet and liked every post and sent every text. I hope you are reading this right now when it's pitch dark outside and quiet in the house but you can't go to sleep because you are still wired. Also, in addition to that adrenaline, you are restless because you are extremely concerned about whether they have a working internet connection in those tents over in Durham so everyone could see the game.
Enjoy every bit of it. We have been waiting for generations for a finish like that to a game like this. Every angle of Seth Trimble's shot includes the same glorious moment: the silence as the ball as in the air as 21,750 collectively hold their breath. The moment is too precarious to speak or clap or even breathe.
Then: bedlam.
Earlier this week, Caleb Wilson was sifting through all the various media obligations he had in advance of the Carolina-Duke game. It easily could have been overwhelming. ESPN's College GameDay wanted him. SportsCenter wanted him. Every podcast and show in the college basketball world wanted him.
"A year ago, I was in high school," Wilson said with an incredulous grin on his face. "I can't believe I get to do all of this. This is why I came to North Carolina."
That guy—who came to North Carolina for nights like this—is currently standing on top of a Franklin Street balcony looking down at thousands of his classmates.
The pandemonium was made possible by Seth Trimble's three-pointer with 0.4 seconds left.
Trimble played exactly one minute and 14 seconds in his first Carolina-Duke game at the Smith Center. His only contribution to the box score in that game in March of 2023 was a turnover.
There will never be a truer testament to sticking it out. That guy—who could only be trusted to play one minute in a game the Tar Heels lost by five, who had the opportunity to leave but chose to hang around—is now forever etched in Carolina Basketball history. It would have been much, much easier to leave. But then he wouldn't have had one of the best nights of his life.
I know that by now you have watched every single angle of the game-winner. My personal favorite is the ESPN game feed, which features Roy Williams in the top left. Watch the Hall of Famer. He raises his hands over his head in celebration before Trimble ever releases the shot. He knew.
Like the former coach's reaction, Jones Angell's call of the shot was an instant classic. If you don't mind, it needed just one tiny addition. Because as soon as I heard it, there was only one thing missing: an exuberant Eric Montross shouting, "He got it!" as the ball ripped through the net. This night would have delighted the big fella. So hug the people you watched with, whether you were in the Smith Center or sitting on your couch or maybe even studying abroad in London and rushing Big Ben to celebrate (it happened). At some point in almost every conversation you have with those people in future years, one of you will say, "Remember that night..." and you'll instantly be back on February 7.
That reminds me. And yes, I promise, we will eventually get to the actual column. Right now, we are not in a hurry, because we still have a few hours until Drake Maye plays in the Super Bowl.
So that reminds me. My favorite two timeouts in Smith Center history occurred in the final seconds of Saturday's game. The first came with 50.8 seconds remaining. The game was tied and Carolina had the ball. Hubert Davis had called a timeout. Everyone in the building was jumping up and down, chanting along to Seven Nation Army.
Including, as it turned out, Theo Pinson and Justin Jackson. Just two national champions acting like a couple of kids. It was spontaneous and authentic and fun.
After a UNC turnover, Duke called a timeout with under 40 seconds left. They had the ball and a chance to take the lead. What did Carolina need? A stop, of course.
At that moment, on the video board appeared one Roy Allen Williams, standing in the corner in his usual seat. Then, without realizing he was on the board, he went full Coach Williams power stance fist-clinching "get a stop" mode.
It was spontaneous and authentic and fun. The crowd absolutely loved it.
College athletic departments currently spend endless hours and plentiful dollars trying to figure out how to entertain fans during games. Turns out you don't need much more than a couple national champions and a Hall of Famer who truly love their program.
OK, fine—the actual column. You have seen all those other highlights. One of the very best parts of the night happened away from almost every camera. The mass of humanity on the court prevented almost everyone other than the current team from making it into the home tunnel after the win.
First came Luka Bogavac, doing some sort of dance that is undoubtedly beloved in Montenegro but has not yet made it to these shores. And then came the rest of the Tar Heels, who were greeted in the home tunnel by…not some marketing slogan. Not some hashtag. Not a recruiting strategy.
They were greeted by their Carolina basketball family. Antawn Jamison was wrapping Sean May in a giant hug. Theo Pinson was embracing Trimble. Kenny Williams and Justin Jackson were celebrating.
It was, well, you already know what it was. It was spontaneous and authentic and fun. And, of course, it was family. Just a couple of minutes later, Pinson—with a well-earned reputation for crashing all sorts of events—was bursting into the UNC locker room, where he danced with Hubert Davis.
"It's surreal, man," Trimble said on the Tar Heel Sports Network. "Seeing the legends celebrate you and putting yourself in that history with those legends. It's a surreal feeling to get that love from those other guys."
Even today, in the world of 2026 college sports where everything is for sale, you can't replicate that feeling. You can't manufacture alums who still love the program that has meant so much to their lives. Watch Pinson and Jackson behind the UNC bench during the key moments. They are just a couple of fans. When Trimble's shot goes in the air, Pinson puts his hand on Jackson's shoulder: this might be happening. How many of us had that exact same reaction at that moment? The way the former and current players hugged and celebrated in that tunnel...you can't buy it.
Go anywhere else in the country and get everything you can for that particular year. Come to Chapel Hill and be part of that.
Eventually, the building began to quiet. Even the tunnel, which had been ground zero of the celebration, was returning to normal. That was primarily because everyone who was awake had made the journey to Franklin Street, where the temperature was 29 degrees and yet for some reason absolutely no one was cold.
Trimble emerged from the locker room after finishing his media responsibilities. He still looked a little dazed, and he hugged his parents. They pulled up a live video of Franklin Street.
"Is that right now?" Trimble said. "Maaaaaaan."
He had caused that celebration. Right now, it was just a great moment. What Seth Trimble didn't know yet is that for the rest of his life, he likely will never go more than a couple of days without someone bringing it up to him. They will tell him where they were or who they were with or how they celebrated, and every time he will smile and nod and he will think of this night.
For now, though, he had one last thing to do. He hugged his parents one more time and he looked at the video of Franklin Street.
"I've got to get there," he said. "Right now."
Players Mentioned
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