Court storming is frowned upon, especially when it causes controversy.
As expected, North Carolina has been fined for the court storming that occurred following the UNC basketball program's last-second victory over No. 4-ranked Duke. Here is what the conference's official press release had to say:
"The Atlantic Coast Conference announced today that the University of North Carolina has been fined for violation of the league’s event security policy at the conclusion of its men’s basketball game versus Duke University on February 7.
The conference’s event security policy is designed to protect the safety and well-being of all student-athletes, coaches, officials and fans.
In accordance with ACC policy, North Carolina will incur a fine of $50,000 for a first offense.
All fines collected under the policy are directed to the Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship Fund, which benefits ACC student-athletes pursuing graduate education."
Bubba Cunningham releases a statement
Bubba Cunningham, the Director of Athletics at the University of North Carolina, released a statement about the conference's ruling. He indicated that the university is accepting the $50,000 fine and went through the review of the footage, noting that they believe they followed all the proper protocols in order to get the players and referees off the court safely.
Statement from #UNC about the fine from the ACC: pic.twitter.com/Sga9HM8yRu
— R.L. Bynum (@RL_Bynum) February 8, 2026
Duke is still claiming that a staff member was injured in the scrum but will not release the individual's identity. Reports have indicated that Cunningham issued a formal apology to Duke head coach Jon Scheyer following the incident.
The fine was expected, as the Tar Heels are first-time offenders under these recently implemented rules. Of course, the safety of all involved, especially the players, coaches, and officials, remains at the forefront of all decision-making, as the conference will not tolerate court-storming to prevent any harm, especially following a game like the one we experienced on Saturday night at the Dean Smith Center.