Duke's Scheyer: Staff got 'punched in the face' during UNC court storm - ESPN

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Duke coach Jon Scheyer said he had staff members «that got punched in the face» as North Carolina fans stormed the court to celebrate a late winning shot in the famed rivalry Saturday night, prompting UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham to publicly apologize.

The 14th-ranked Tar Heels stunned the fourth-ranked Blue Devils 71-68 on Seth Trimble's 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left, a shot that originally appeared to come as time expired and had jubiliant fans rush the court in a chaotic celebration. Officials reviewed the play and determined time was left, so fans had to be cleared for Duke to get one final play before storming the court again when the clock officially hit zero.

«For me it's hard to talk about the game when I was most concerned just for the safety of our players after the game,» Scheyer said in his opening statement. «I don't want to make it about that, because Carolina, they played a great game to win. And that's a heartbreaking loss for our team.

»I got staff members that got punched in the face. My family, pushing people away, trying to not get trampled. That's not what this game is about."

Afterward, Cunningham said he apologized to Scheyer before he came in for this postgame news conference and referenced someone being injured. He didn't have details on who was injured or how, and Duke program spokesman Kyle Serba didn't immediately return a text message for comment.

«When they rushed the court, a number of people got knocked over,» Cunningham said. «But then we had to clear the court again. 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