Seth Trimble’s buzzer-beater lifts No. 14 North Carolina past No. 4 Duke 71-68

By Canadian Press on February 7, 2026.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Seth Trimble made a corner 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to lift No. 14 North Carolina past No. 4 Duke 71-68 in a stunning finish Saturday night, which included fans storming the court prematurely before having to clear out for the Blue Devils to get one desperate final play.

Trimble’s shot on the catch off a feed from Derek Dixon swished cleanly through the net with apparently no time left, sending the Tar Heels rushing onto the court to celebrate followed closely by the fans at a frantic, ear-ringing roar. But a review determined there was still 0.4 seconds left, prompting the Smith Center’s public-address announcer to repeatedly tell fans to clear the court.

Once they did, Duke had a final chance, but Isaiah Evans couldn’t get a clean handle on the long inbound pass to near halfcourt to get off a tying shot to end it — prompting another court-storming that stuck this time.

It capped a night in which UNC trailed by 13 in the second half and never led until Trimble’s final shot.

Caleb Wilson scored 23 points to lead the Tar Heels (19-4, 7-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), while big man Henri Veesaar had all 13 of his points after halftime — including a tying 3-pointer with 1:40 left. Trimble had 16 points.

Cameron Boozer had 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Blue Devils (21-2, 10-1), but missed a drive against Veesaar in the final 20 seconds of a tie game to set up Trimble’s winner.

Trimble’s shot ended Duke’s 10-game winning streak. It also gave the rivalry another memorable buzzer-beater on par with Austin Rivers’ winning 3 here in 2012.

NO. 1 ARIZONA 84, OKLAHOMA STATE 47

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Brayden Burries scored 15 points and Arizona stifled Oklahoma State’s high-scoring offense to remain unbeaten.

The Wildcats (23-0, 10-0) extended the best start in school history by holding the Cowboys to 24.6% shooting. Arizona’s start also is the best in Big 12 history, passing Kansas’ 22-0 opening run in 1996-97.

Oklahoma State (16-7, 4-6) was averaging 86.5 points and scored 99 points Wednesday night in a victory over No. 16 BYU.

Burries was 7 of 11 from the field and added eight rebounds. Arizona had a 55-35 edge in rebounds and 54-14 advantage on points in the paint.

Arizona’s 37-point margin of victory was its largest in a Big 12 game since joining the league last season and largest in a conference game since beating rival Arizona State by 45 in 2024.

Oklahoma State got 10 points from Anthony Roy while no other player scored more than eight. The Cowboys’ shooting percentage was their worst since 2014 and their point total the lowest since scoring 47 at Houston in 2024.

NO. 10 MICHIGAN STATE 85, ILLINOIS 82, OT

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Jeremy Fears scored 26 points, including a tiebreaking three-point play with 1:47 left in overtime, and had 15 assists to help Michigan State hold on for a win over Illinois.

With a chance to send the game to a second overtime, Illinois center Zvonimir Ivisic missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The Spartans (20-4, 10-3 Big Ten) knocked the Fighting Illini (20-4, 11-2) out of first place in the Big Ten and ended their 12-game winning streak.

Illinois’ David Mirkovic scored 18 points, Andrej Stojakovic had 17 points and Tomislav Ivisic fouled out with 2:22 left in overtime after scoring 12 points.

Illini freshman Keaton Wagler, who averaged 27-plus points the previous four games, missed 14 of 16 shots and scored 16.

Fears started and played more than 40 minutes after coach Tom Izzo debated whether to discipline the standout point guard with restricted playing time after his sportsmanship was called into question in two straight games.

NO. 6 GONZAGA 81, OREGON STATE 61

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Graham Ike matched his career high with 35 points and Gonzaga rebounded from a midweek loss to Portland with a victory over Oregon State.

Tyon Grant-Foster added 15 points for Gonzaga (23-2, 11-1 WCC), which was coming off an 87-80 loss to unranked Portland on Wednesday night that snapped a 15-game winning streak for the Bulldogs. It also ended a 20-game winning streak over the Pilots.

Isaiah Sy had 13 points for Oregon State (13-13, 6-7), which came into the game riding a three-game winning streak.

The loss to Portland will no doubt drop the Bulldogs in the AP Top 25 rankings. Gonzaga and St. Mary’s sit atop the WCC standings with just one conference loss apiece.

Ike, who played in his third game since returning from an ankle sprain, had seven rebounds. His 35 points matched his career high set against Denver in December 2021.

Oregon State held a narrow lead though the first 10 minutes, but Ike’s 3-pointer gave Gonzaga a 22-20 lead and the Bulldogs led until White’s 2-pointer pulled the Beavers even at 34.

Oregon State couldn’t pull ahead and Gonzaga led 38-34 at the break.

NO. 7 IOWA ST. 72, BAYLOR 69

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Milan Momcilovic scored 21 points, Joshua Jefferson added 15 and Iowa State held off a late rally by Baylor for a victory.

It was the fifth consecutive win for the Cyclones (21-2, 8-2 Big 12). Iowa State, heading into a stretch where four of its next six games are against AP Top 25 teams, had won its last four games by an average of 26.8 points.

This game was looking like another double-digit win for the Cyclones — they led by 14 points with 2:12 to play — before the Bears (13-10, 3-8) scored the final 11 points, the last coming on a 3-pointer from Tounde Yessoufou with one second left.

Momcilovic had his 11th game of 20 or more points this season, going 6 of 11 from the field. Momcilovic, who leads the nation in 3-pointers and 3-point percentage, was just 2 of 6 from behind the arc.

NO. 9 NEBRASKA 80, RUTGERS 68

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Rienk Mast scored 26 points to lead four players in double figures as Nebraska rolled to a win over Rutgers.

The Cornhuskers (21-2, 10-2 Big Ten) were coming off their first losses of the season, falling to No. 2 Michigan 75-72 and No. 5 Illinois 78-69.

Rutgers (9-15, 2-11) has lost seven straight.

Mast was 11 of 20 from the floor and grabbed eight rebounds.

Pryce Sandfort scored 15 points, Sam Hoiberg added 13 and Jamarques Lawrence had 12 for the Cornhuskers, who scored 15 points off 15 Rutgers turnovers.

NO. 11 KANSAS 71, UTAH 59

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Flory Bidunga had 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks and Kansas beat Utah to take a seven-game winning streak into its Monday night home showdown with top-ranked Arizona.

Trey White added 16 points for Kansas (18-5, 8-2 Big 12). Darryn Peterson had 14. and Melvin Council 11.

Keanu Dawes led Utah (9-14, 1-9) with 20 points. Terrence Brown added 16. and Don McHenry had 12. The Utes have list five straight.

The Jayhawks led 38-31 at halftime and didn’t take a double-digit lead until Council hit a short jumper midway through the second half. That was part of a 10-0 run, capped by a thunderous dunk by Peterson that made it 60-44.

NO. 12 PURDUE 68, OREGON 64

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Fletcher Loyer scored 18 points and made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 51 seconds left Saturday to lead Purdue past pesky Oregon. He closed it out by making three of four free throws in the waning seconds.

Braden Smith finished with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists as the Boilermakers (19-4, 9-3 Big Ten) won their second straight since breaking a three-game losing streak. Purdue has played only two home games since Jan. 14 and in this one, Smith reached yet another milestone by becoming the first Big Ten player with 1,000 points and 500 assists in conference games only.

Trey Kaufman-Renn added 12 points for the Boilermakers.

Nate Bittle had 23 points to lead the Ducks (8-15, 1-11), who took a 59-56 lead with 5:15 to go. Takai Simpkins added 14, but Oregon came up just short of snapping a losing streak that has now reached nine. The Ducks also have lost four straight road games and are just 1-9 since Jan. 2.

OKLAHOMA 92, NO. 15 VANDERBILT 91

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Xzayvier Brown scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half and Oklahoma held off Vanderbilt to end a nine-game losing streak.

Nijel Pack added 17 points for the Sooners (12-12, 2-9 Southeastern Conference) who had a 21-point lead with 12:03 left. Oklahoma shot 53.4% from the field.

Tyler Tanner led Vanderbilt (19-4, 6-4) with 37 points. Tyler Nickel added 18.

Nickel hit a 3-pointer with 1 1/2 minutes left to cut Oklahoma’s lead to 10. AK Okereke had a 4-point play to make it a two-possession game with 49 seconds remaining.

NO. 17 FLORIDA 86, TEXAS A&M 67

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Thomas Haugh scored 22 points and Florida beat Texas A&M in a showdown for the Southeastern Conference lead.

The Gators (17-6, 8-2) started three players 6-foot-9 or taller against the Aggies’ four-guard lineup. Texas A&M’s tallest starter was Rashaun Agee at 6-8.

Florida outscored Texas A&M 48-24 in the paint, blocked seven shots and limited the Aggies (17-6, 7-3) to making just nine makes on 25 layups.

Texas A&M held its own on the boards against the Gators, the nation’s top rebounding team, but Florida still had a 50-43 advantage. The Aggies could only turn 19 offensive rebounds into 11 second-chance points.

Marcus Hill and Pop Isaacs each had 17 points for Texas A&M.

Isaiah Brown added 12 points for Florida, Urban Klavzar had 11, and Rueben Chinyelu and Xavian Lee each had 10.

NO. 18 VIRGINIA 72, SYRACUSE 59

CHARLOTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Sam Lewis had 16 points as Virginia held Syracuse to its lowest point total of the season in a 72-59 win.

Lewis started the game hot, making his first four 3-point attempts. He finished 4 of 8 beyond the arc and 5 of 10 overall. Ugonna Onyenso had 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Cavaliers (20-3, 9-2 Atlantic Coast).

Naithan George led Syracuse (13-11, 4-7) with 19 points. He made 8 of 9 shots. Nate Kingz and J.J. Starling each scored 13 for the Orange. Donnie Freeman had nine rebounds.

Virginia scored 29 bench points. Syracuse’s bench scored seven.

The Cavaliers have won four straight since a loss to now-No. 14 North Carolina on Jan. 24.

NO. 19 SAINT LOUIS 82, LA SALLE 58

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ishan Sharma came off the bench to score 15 points on five 3-pointers and Saint Louis beat La Salle for a 17th straight win.

Quentin Jones had 13 points and six rebounds, Amari McCottry also scored 13 and Robbie Avila had nine points and eight assists for the Billikens (23-1, 11-0 Atlantic 10).

This was Saint Louis’ 19th consecutive win at home dating back to last season. The Billikens’ start in conference play is their best since going 12-0 in the 2013-2014 season.

The 23-1 start is the best in school history.

NO. 20 CLEMSON 77, CALIFORNIA 55

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Ace Buckner and RJ Godfrey each scored 13 points as Clemson overwhelmed California and moved into a first-place tie with No. 4 Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Tigers (20-4, 10-1) and Blue Devils meet in Durham, North Carolina, next Saturday. Duke (21-2, 10-1) lost 71-68 at No. 14 North Carolina on Saturday.

Clemson has won 14 consecutive ACC road games, tied for the second-longest road win streak in conference history. Duke won 24 in a row from 1998 through 2001. The Blue Devils also had a 14-game road ACC win streak (1962-64).

Jake Wahlin and Carter Welling each had 11 points for the Tigers, who went 27 for 59 (55.1%) from the floor, including 12 for 26 (46.2%) from beyond the arc.

Justin Pippen led Cal (17-7, 5-6) with a game-high 19 points.

NO. 21 ARKANSAS 88, MISSISSIPPI ST. 68

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Darius Acuff scored 24 points and Trevon Brazile added 19 to lead Arkansas to a victory over Mississippi State.

The Razorbacks (17-6, 7-3 Southeastern Conference) shot 52% from the field and made-eight 3 pointers while securing their largest margin of victory in an SEC road game this year. Meleek Thomas added 17 points for Aransas while Billy Richmond had 14.

Josh Hubbard led Mississippi State (11-12, 3-7) with 16 points but failed to make a 3 pointer. Hubbard entered Saturday having made at least one 3 in 69 consecutive games, an SEC record. Hubbard was 7 of 15 from the field but 0 of 4 from 3-point range.

Achor Achor had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Bulldogs and freshman Jamarion Davis-Fleming added 12 points. After a 2-0 start in SEC play, Mississippi State has lost seven of its last eight conference games.

The Bulldogs went just 3 of 15 from 3-point territory and had 11 turnovers. Arkansas outscored Mississippi State 19-4 in points off turnovers.

NO. 23 MIAMI (OHIO), 90, MARSHALL 74

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — Eian Elmer scored 18 points, Peter Suder had 17 and Miami (Ohio) kept its perfect season going with a victory over Marshall in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.

Antwone Woolfolk added 15 points and Luke Skaljac had 12 points and seven assists for the RedHawks (24-0), who extended the longest winning streak in Mid-American Conference history. Miami and Arizona are the only remaining unbeaten teams in Division I.

Three of Miami’s previous five games were one-possession wins, including a 73-71 win at Buffalo on Tuesday night. But the RedHawks had little trouble in this one.

The nation’s top scoring team, Miami was held just under its 92.8-point average for the fourth straight game but came out hot Saturday against the Thundering Herd. The RedHawks shot 56% from the floor in the first half, including a dozen layups, and built a 49-31 halftime lead.

Marshall (15-9) went 10 minutes between baskets in the first half and was limited to 40% shooting for the game, its first at home against a ranked opponent in 11 years. Marshall’s Erich Harding was called three times for first-half lane violations while he attempted free throws.

NO. 24 LOUISVILLE 88, WAKE FOREST 80

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Sananda Fru had 17 points while Louisville survived at the foul line late after blowing a 15-point second-half lead to beat Wake Forest.

J’Vonne Hadley added 15 points for the Cardinals (17-6, 7-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who shot 52.9% but had to finish this one out while going the last 6:38 without a field goal. Louisville made 19 of 22 (86.4%) free throws after halftime, repeatedly cashing in at the line after the Demon Deacons made their push.

Louisville had six players score in double figures, while freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. had eight assists.

The Cardinals led 54-39 early in the second half, yet they had fits trying to hold off Juke Harris and the Demon Deacons for much of the second half. With Harris repeatedly on the attack, Wake Forest gradually inched closer until twice tying it — the last coming on Sebastian Akins’ free throws that made it 80-all with 4:44 left.

But the Demon Deacons never could push ahead. And when an upset win appeared within reach, they instead missed their last 11 shots — along with two free throws by Tre’Von Spillers that would’ve put Wake Forest ahead with 4:14 left.

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The Associated Press