Perhaps dozens of times in his halfcourt in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. Hundreds more, by all accounts, in the North Carolina practice room during many late-night shooting sessions in his four seasons as a Tar Heel. And probably more than he can count on on this floor, in the illustrious Dean Smith Center, where six NCAA championship banners and a slew of legendary jerseys dangle overhead.
How many times must he have heard that imaginary countdown in his head, as precious seconds ticked away? Three, two, one… How many times must he have dreamed of this moment? To become a piece of North Carolina history? To stamp himself – somehow, someday, somehow – on the greatest rivalry of college sports?
Everything to experience it just once.
For one night.
For Saturday: No. 14 North Carolina 71, No. 4 Duke 68.
Call it a buzzer-beater. A game winner. A history maker.
Call it what it is: the Seth Trimble game, for tonight and forever.
SETH TRIMBLE WINS IT FOR NORTH CAROLINA 😱
OUR SPORT>>>> https://t.co/LetlawFb6y pic.twitter.com/oSMZvxphLj
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) February 8, 2026
“He deserves to be remembered forever,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “That recording was made by the perfect person at the right time.”
And also in a poetic way. In an era of college sports where deals over eligibility, name, image and likeness dominate the headlines, where the transfer portal serves as de facto free agency every spring, what a cosmic coincidence that North Carolina’s only four-year player — and Davis’ only four-year recruit — was the one who ultimately took down Duke, in its final home game against his school’s most hated rival.
Especially considering Trimble dipped his toes into the transfer portal after his second season, only to withdraw his name two weeks later.
“He stayed with this program because he loves this university,” Trimble’s father, Trevor, said The Athletics. “He loves the people that are a part of this university and the history of this university. So to see him share this moment and be part of a chapter of Carolina basketball is incredible.”
The play itself, the play destined to be repeated for decades to come? The official name is “Philly 25,” a common play the Tar Heels run in the halfcourt, or — as they did in Saturday’s high-stakes game — in the out-of-court sideline (SLOB). Basically it’s a high pick-and-roll with shooters on the corners. Once the ballhandler – in this case freshman guard Derek Dixon – goes downhill, it’s all about forcing the defense to make a choice:
Do we sell out to stop the roller, Caleb Wilson, North Carolina’s leading scorer and five-star freshman stud, or do we sit back with Trimble, the corner shooter?
“Usually,” Wilson said, grinning, “they’d choose me.”
Understandably, Duke did that. As Dixon sliced through the defense and rolled to the rim, three different Blue Devils collapsed on him, blocking any potential dump-off pass to Wilson. But somehow, Dixon saw through the forest of limbs and contorted his body to throw a rocket baseline pass to Trimble, giving his defensive companion the chance to officially stage a 13-point comeback.
“A green release, as we young people would say,” Trimble joked. “I knew it was right.”
So did Wilson, who saw the ball fly straight into the paint from his position. His only thought as he saw the ball fly out of Trimble’s fingers?
“Damn, that’s cash.”
And it certainly was.
On the surface, Trimble’s winner may feel more serendipitous than preordained. The 6-foot-1 senior had made just 13 treys all season, a disappointing total even considering the nine games he missed with a broken left forearm. Would a three-point shooter with a career 31 percent suddenly have the best shot of the UNC season?
Yes. Because Trimble – the only UNC player on Davis’ remade roster who had previously played in the rivalry – had quietly done everything he could to put himself in position to succeed. His old trainer, Drew Dunlop, who has been with Trimble since seventh grade, flew to Chapel Hill for extra work with one of his oldest clients. So did Trimble’s mental skills coach, whom he started working with after an up-and-down second year.
Friday evening, Trimble’s mother, Laurence, visited her son’s apartment to prepare a special meal for him: one of his favorites, an African stew called Maafe, with peanuts, sweet potatoes and chicken.
“He probably ate the whole jar himself,” his mother joked. Nothing fancy, but just the kind of comforting evening the veteran knew he needed. That, and then a few episodes of one of his favorite shows, “The Traitors,” for a nightcap.
“He was so relaxed,” she added. “How many times has he been through this? He’s used to it.”
That was evident early Saturday, when Trimble scored UNC’s first five points during a nervous start that saw his team fall behind 18-5. Ultimately, he gave way to Wilson, who single-handedly brought UNC back from the brink of a blowout with four scores in five Tar Heel possessions. Then Henri Veesaar took over late in the second half, scoring all 13 points in the final 20 minutes of the game by taking advantage of an error-riddled Duke frontcourt.
But with the game on the line? Proud? To boast? Another one year when Duke fans chirped about their supremacy after beating the Tar Heels in three meetings last season?
Trimble was the one who took the game – and a crucial rebound on Duke’s botched final possession – with both hands.
The one that set up UNC’s first game winner with less than a second left since Luke Maye’s dagger against Kentucky in the 2017 Elite Eight.
The one who posted UNC’s smallest margin of victory in a win over Duke since Marvin Williams’ famous and-1 in 2005, which coincidentally completed another Tar Heel comeback against then-top-10 Duke.
“I don’t really know how else to say it,” Trimble said, “but you gotta have some big balls to shoot like that and knock down a shot like that.”
Looking beyond the single shot, during a college basketball season with more than 30 games, it’s rare that one game can change a team’s trajectory. But Duke-North Carolina is one of the few, especially when the winning team scratches and claws like Davis’ team did Saturday. When UNC, as the coach said earlier, finally “joined the fray.”
Much of that reluctance to stop, especially early on, came from 19-year-old Wilson, who draped a blinding blue-and-white belt over his shoulders when speaking to reporters, referring to the TikTok slang “BTA.” (It’s worth a Google search.) Then there were flashes of Veesaar, of Dixon, newcomers reaching the pinnacle of their first blue blood battle.
Seth Trimble said “night night” to Duke after his game-winning 3. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
But none compared to Trimble, who imitated Steph Curry’s famous late-night celebration after hitting the biggest shot of his life. Then came the bullying from teammates. Two right-wing storms.
And finally, a chair to sit back and process an eternal memory.
“Adversity, it’s your greatest friend,” Trimble finally said. “Being able to push through adversity, struggle, and overcome them builds you up far more than anything else.”
Back on the Smith Center field, Trimble’s parents drank in the moment. Other parents and program icons lingered around, all wanting to congratulate and show off their Trimble jerseys. To show that they believed, even before.
Eventually, Trevor met one of UNC’s greatest basketball exports: Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown, who played for the Tar Heels when Dean Smith first made a name for himself and began his coaching career on the North Carolina sidelines. When Brown saw Trevor, he stopped at the edge of the court and extended a celebratory fist over the scorer’s table. For a second, Trevor and Brown both leaned forward to touch their knuckles – just close enough for Brown to whisper one thing.
“Never had any doubts.”
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